best XI team of the WEEK
Gustavo Paez finally showed glimpses of what Kaizer Chiefs saw in him despite an unimpressive return of having scored 11 goals in 11 years. The Venezuelan striker led Amakhosi in their 3-0 win over Stellenbosch FC in their opening round of the Nedbank Cup. Paez came up with an assist and even scored in the victory over the first division side. He worked more for the team, floating around the box and drifting wide to create space for his teammates. That’s why he leads this edition’s Team of the Week upfront. Another man new to the local scene, Algerian Fares Hachi, showed his quality as Mamelodi Sundowns went past Mariveni United. The leftback whipped inviting crosses from the left-flank while also being solid at the back. Hachi has shown that coach Pitso Mosimane will have a good headache on who to pick at leftback between him and Tebogo Langerman. The Brazilians struggled to get good cover for Langerman, ther case not being helped by Mzikayise Mashaba’s injuries and Samuel Juries’ inexperience. So far Mosimane has been using Langerman in the continental competitions and Hachi in the domestic league, gradually bringing the Algerian into the setup. Hachi is part of a defence that’s manned by Moeneeb Josephs in goal. Josephs returned into the starting line-up in Cairo against eight-time African champions Al-Ahly. He provided valuable experienced that helped Bidvest Wits return with only a 1-0 defeat and a belief that they can overturn that loss at home on Sunday. Daniel Cardoso, Soumahoro Bangaly and Willem Mwedihanga complete the back four.