Madagascar vs. South Africa, 3 June 2018

In the first half of this game, Dax was arguably the best player on the pitch. He played higher up than in the game against Mozambique, and was often under intense pressure from the likes of Siphesihle Ndlovu and Fortune Makaringe. He was calm under pressure, with his side looking to funnel all of their best play through him. When given time and space, he could drive forward with the ball or switch the play with long diagonal passes. When he got the ball when surrounded, his quick feet and burst of speed often took him away from pressure. He made 27 passes in this impressive first half outing. Considering that the Maritzburg United duo were both outstanding in the PSL last season, it shows that Dax can also impress against good opponents and this bodes well for his ability to play at PSL level.

Defensively, he again showed real intensity to close down, safe in the knowledge that there were two covering midfielders behind him. Looking at how eager he is to press, Dax could fit well into a side that looks to press high up the pitch. His first decision after winning the ball was usually very good, looking to play forward and not giving the ball away when aggressively closed down. His impressive switching of mentality from both attacking to defending, and from defending to attacking, makes him the sort of two-way, transitional player that Kaizer Chiefs have lacked in recent seasons. On this first half showing alone, it’s no surprise that the Soweto giants made a move for him. In the second half, the Malagasy side barely had the ball, so Dax was forced to spend most of his time doing defensive work or waiting for a rare chance to counter-attack, with only 10 passes in this period.

From the passing map of his first half above, we see Dax’s influence on the game. There are plenty of quick sideways passes when under pressure, but also longer forward passes on counter-attacks, or switches of play.