It’s difficult to sustain success
On Banyana Banyana’s failure to qualify for 2024 Olympic Games
Failing to beat Nigeria in the second leg of the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers was obviously a disappointing result for the country, the team and some individuals who have never qualified for the tournament. I think the performance was not of quality. If you compare it with the games that we played at the 2023 FIFA World Cup, it was far off the standard that Banyana Banyana is capable of as a team. Maybe it was because of the pressure that the players were under, being 1-0 down from the first leg in Nigeria, maybe (in the second leg) they played more cautiously even though they were expected to go out (and attack). They should have changed the formation to try and get that goal as early as possible to turn the game (around). But it felt like they were just playing cautiously not to concede again – I don’t think they played to their full potential. The standard that we have seen from Banyana Banyana, it’s a massive disappointment for everyone. But at some point, we have to sit and reflect on where we went wrong because it’s very difficult to sustain success. We have been at the FIFA World Cup twice (in 2019 and 2023), we have been at the Olympic Games twice (2012 and 2016), we have just come off a high after performing well at the 2023 World Cup. And to sustain that kind of form and performance is a very difficult task for any athlete. There will be, at some point, some downfalls. This was a moment that was crucial for us to determine the qualification for the 2024 Olympic, which we failed. One could question the players that came in. For example, captain Refiloe Jane, obviously is an instrumental player for Banyana Banyana but she just came back from injury to fitting in straight into these two games against a very tough opponent. You could see that she wasn’t at her full potential, which is something that is crucial for the link of the team, because she is in the midfield. And they just didn’t seem to connect properly. But like I said, it’s a game of football and this is what athletes have to experience because you can’t always have expectations of success. Success is not always consistent. One has to fail in order to lift yourself and reflect on where it all went wrong in order to improve.
On the difference between Banyana’s performance at the 2023 World Cup and Olympic qualifiers
At the World Cup, you have many weeks together as a team to prepare for the tournament. Everyone remains on the same page; you are training together every single day. With these (Olympic) qualifiers you only have a week or so with certain players and individuals to try and get the tactics right. The international players only came together a few days before the first leg in Nigeria. And of course, you go to Nigeria, a difficult country to perform at because they make it extremely difficult for any opponent that goes there, to get the results against them. Going 1-0 down (away from home) was a crucial part and it was about trying to manage how well we were going to do coming to the second leg. Should there have been a change of formation to try and get a goal back? As I mentioned before, coach Desiree [Ellis] kept the same kind of formation going into the game. To pin-point where Nigeria’s weaknesses are – I think Nigeria was not as strong opponent in the second leg as they were in the first leg. They seemed very lethargic and tired, they struggled to maintain the ball (possession) and we didn’t capitalise on that because our game and performance was not on par either. We lost many balls; we couldn’t get forward anymore and we needed to change something. At last year’s World Cup, we had so much pressure on us as a team – the opponents were high pressing our team and we could find spaces behind for Thembi (Kgatlana), Hildah (Magaia) and Jermaine (Seoposenwe) to run on to because the opponent left so much space. But because Nigeria played a similar style to us, where they had a midblock and didn’t give Thembi and Jermaine space to run on behind, that should have been red flag for the coach to change something and possibly draw them into our half in order to find that space for Thembi and Jermaine to run out behind them. It was also a different surface that they played in Nigeria, in Nigeria it was dry heat and humid. Coming to Loftus Versfeld, that evening, it was raining and the surface was slippery and wet which can also be detrimental to the style of certain players that are not used to the ball that skids faster than it should. There are different factors that you can think of as to why the performance was not the same as it was at the World Cup. It’s a different opponent, different style of the opponent, but definitely something should have changed in the second leg. Maybe a formation or the style of approach for the game.
On how long the current crop of Banyana players can play together before youngsters are introduced
Well, look I don’t think youngsters are always the solution to us winning games. Youngsters come in with a lot of energy and hunger to succeed, but then you also lose a lot of experience in the team. Experience is something that carries the team throughout major tournaments and competitions where you need to qualify. Experience is what holds the team together. We can’t always turn to youngsters and think that they will do a better job because they are inexperienced coming into the squad. But a good balance is good to have, where you have that energy, a drive and the hunger of the youngsters to come in and change games and bring some excitement to the game. You need that balance of experience to be able to control the pressure, play under pressure. I don’t think young players are a solution. There are lots of players that have been around and it’s really important to have their experience. And it’s also important that players that are performing well at their clubs, whether they are young or old, they must be given an opportunity to play. If you are on form as a player, you need to be given an opportunity to play, not because of your age. It just comes down to the form and confidence and how well a player can sink into the relationship with others around her. That is what it (selection) should be based on – on merit more than age.