Who’s in for Man of the Match stick?

Soccer Laduma’s official weekly newsletter, Two Feet Up With Lunga, which comes out every Friday morning, continues to go where others may fear to tread in terms of telling it like it is and tackling some of the most provocative

Ola Lungas. I had the privilege of sitting next to the Stellenbosch FC analysts in their MTN8 match against Orlando Pirates. We really don’t know how much work is being put in there, behind the scenes. They see things before they could happen and relay the message to the technical bench. How they know each player, his weaknesses and strong points from the opposite side brought me down to earth. They were sharing everything that was there to know with me. After 70 minutes, I told them “Ox” (Sibongiseni Mthethwa) was the Man of the Match, but after that second goal of Bucs, I told them it was possible that things would take a twist and it could be given to “Tito” (Patrick Maswanganyi). But I still maintain Ox was the Man of the Match. This brings us to the same debate of how players who are doing defensive duties are underrated. It’s becoming a norm now that a player from the losing side will never get the Man issues in South African football. This is courtesy of deputy editor Lunga Adam, with his finger on the pulse of these burning issues, and if you have not yet subscribed to receive the newsletter, for FREE, you are missing out on that and of the Match accolade. As per your assertion, the criteria itself is confusing and we need transparency and clarity. Ox has got a lot in his tank as he was winning everything that came his way and I like how he keeps possession of the ball and how he is distributing it. a lot more. In typical fashion, Lunga goes studs up on some confusing Man of the Match selections in the latest instalment, and as usual, readers offered their interesting views on the topic, as per the below…

Siyabonga Nkalambela, Delft

Great articles, Lunga. Keep on keeping on, my brother. I am inspired. Alex Majoka, via email

Many things are questionable in Mzansi.

These are fans, not journalists. They need to watch the game again if they think Tito’s (Patrick Maswanganyi) only contribution is those two assists.