Moeneeb ’Slimkat’ Josephs speaks
The Bidvest Wits keeper has plenty to say!
KICK OFF: Moeneeb, thanks for talking to us. Talk us through the emotionsemot of last season …
MOENEEB JOSEPHS: Last season was ok – that is the best way to sum it up. We started the season with intentionsinten of trying to win things, and we made big signings to help us achieve t that. We thought we were in with a chan chance, but unfortunately we were not ment mentally strong enough. No-one rememb remembers who finished second, but we can tak take a lot of positive things into next seas season and look at what we can achieve.
What are those positive aspects specifically?
There’s a good vibe at the club ... a really good atmosphere. As muc much as results we were not going our way, we were enjoy enjoying ours ourselves, and w we have a lot of youngsters in the team. I enjoyed m myself because I’m experienced now an and I look at things a bit differently. F For the youngsters in the team who are still building their careers it’s still a little bit tentative, but hopefully this past season will have given them exp experience which will show next season wh when we hope to see them firing on all cylinders.cy
Speaking of youngsters, how do you rate Phakamani Mahlambi?
I rate him as one of the best you youngsters I have ever seen because he is so humble. He doesn’t even know how good he is, it’s just natural abili ability. If you look at his first season in theth PSL, it’s like he has been here for years.yea I’ve not seen another South Afr African youngster like Mahlambi in the past few years.
You had a great 2015/16 seaso season. How do you feel about your persona personal game?
As soon as I see an article in the media saying ‘Moeneeb is slow’ then I w will know I’m f**ked up. But no, list listen man, I’m still enjoying it and I’m sure you can see on the field that I’m still hungry, I’m passionate and I’m fired up. And as long as that is the ca case I will keep playing. I’m enjoying each and every game and being able to play at the highest level is very impo important to me. The minute I know I’m not giving my level best then I will know it it’s time to throw in the towel.
This is your second spell at Wits. What is the difference between now and your first stint?
It’s much better now because there is ambition and the club is hungry to win things. When I was here the first time we had just been promoted from the National First Division, and the main aim was to survive. But now there is a lot of money being injected into the club and we have made quality signings. As soon as I left Orlando Pirates, Wits were the first club to come with an offer. When I spoke to them about what they wanted to achieve, I knew that this is where I wanted to be. During the first spell it was all about surviving; now it’s time to win things.
Does Wits have what it takes to win the League next season? Expectations will be high …
We should definitely win it next season. We finished third in the 2014/15 season and we came second now, so there is continuous improvement. And with a coach like Gavin Hunt at the helm, we know will be even better next season because he will be adding more artillery. Yes, there will be more competition from other teams, but if we know our strengths and play to them then I’m sure we will be ready.
AS SOON AS I SEE AN ARTICLE IN THE MEDIA SAYING ‘MOENEEB IS SLOW’ THEN I WILL KNOW I’M F**KED UP
Finishing second means that Wits will play in the CAF Champions League next year. What have you learned from playing in CAF Confederation Cup this year?
There is definitely a difference between the CAF Confederation Cup and the Champions League. But I think we have learned through our travels about different mentalities in different countries, things like how to approach the game in a different set-up. When you play at home it’s places you know and understand, but when you go to places like Ivory Coast it’s different – it’s more volatile and people are not interested in seeing you win. You need to strengthen your character and mentality – that is what we learned from past tournaments. The Champions League is more exciting and we are all looking forward to it.
What will the team’s tactical approach be against Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns next season?
We’ve been improving our strengths over the last two seasons. People know what we are capable of, but we don’t have anything fancy. We want to impose our game on our opponents. If we want to be the best we have to beat the best.
What is left for you to achieve in your career?
I still have a lot to achieve, starting with winning the League.
And you don’t think about playing for Bafana Bafana again?
No, no, no … there is so much talent. I started playing for the national team aged 23; now we have 18- and 19-yearold goalkeepers like Brandon Peterson and Jody February – these guys can be given opportunities because we are building for 2022. Why not use those players instead of sticking with old guys? If you want to build, build with young players so that when the time comes those players are ready. Don’t be resultsdriven; if you build, build and focus on that.