Amajita have a solid base to start

FOLLOWING two weeks of entertaining football in Maradi and Niamey, Niger, Amajita claimed the bronze medal in the Africa Youth Championships (AYC) when they beat Nigeria 5-3 on penalties in their third/fourth place play-off at Stade General Seyni Kountche on Saturday. This is how they qualified for the World Cup in South Korea.

AMAJITA’S SOUND DEFENCE

Despite there being minimal time to prepare for the World Cup, coach Thabo Senong can sleep better knowing that he’s got a stern defensive unit. Amajita’s defence produced sound performances as they easily dealt with the majority of danger in the continental showpiece. Players such as Sibuliso Mabiliso from AmaZulu marshalled the defence with ease and he’s an integral part of the first team. This campaign, moreover, brought out yet another brilliant piece of goalkeeping from Khulekani Kubheka as he kept three clean sheets in four matches – conceding just once against Senegal.

THE ENGINE ROOM IS ALMOST READY

Amajita’s engine room looks decent, but there’s definitely a room for improvement. For instance, a lot was expected from Promise Mkhuma following his Cosafa Cup Player of the Tournament performance but the Mamelodi Sundowns reserves captain didn’t rise up to the occasion in the Niger. On the other hand, it was quite an impressive campaign for Siphesihle Mkhize and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo who play for M-Tigers and Kaizer Chiefs reserves respectively. Their work in the heart of the midfield was great from the first match against the hosts Niger as they combined for their equaliser in a 1-1 draw – Mkhize was the goal scorer while Ngcobo had the assist from a well-taken free-kick.

SENONG IS AWARE OF HIS STRIKING FRAILTY

Sure, Senong missed firepower upfront as some of the overseas-based club refused to allow their players to report for international duty. But one can only hope that the Amajita coach looked at that disappointed with a positive eye. Monaco reserves striker Lyle Foster might have been Senong’s go-to-guy in the past, but he’ll be thrilled of his new stars such as Thabiso Monyane, who was his preferred man up-front during the tournament. However, the upcoming three months will also give players such as Khanya Leshabela, who plies his trade with English giants Leicester City and sparingly made two appearances in this Under-20 Afcon, a chance to show Senong why he deserves to be at the top of his list when he selects the players that will represent the country in the World Cup .