The enigma that is Xola Mlambo
At his best he bosses the midfield with the precision of an army general. At his worst he is more pedestrian than a tourist looking for directions
● Xola Mlambo is a man of extremes and then some. He can be a figure of frustration and an embodiment of exultation in equal measure.
At his frustrating worst, he was so anonymous against Lamontville Golden Arrows that the Orlando Pirates bench would have been forgiven for filing a missing-person report with the SAPS.
At his exalting best, he executed an audacious backheel to assist Thembinkosi Lorch to strike a sweet grasscutter against SuperSport United. Bucs are on song when Mlambo hits the high notes and they get the wooden mic when he is out of tune.
Perfection is foreign to human nature, but recognition goes to those who constantly strive for it. Mlambo is a resident of that universe, devoting his time to the game at all times. It is not uncommon to see him drive to Sebokeng to watch TS Galaxy against Jomo Cosmos in the National First Division.
“He goes to Thembisa to watch Highlands Park versus Black Leopards, to scout the opposition himself,” said Rhulani Mokwena, the officer next in authority to commander Milutin Sredojevic.
“It is very rare to find a talented player like him who is also extremely passionate, doing so out of his own time, his own pocket to prepare himself. It is a character trait that you don’t easily find.”
It is that level of preparation which has, in part, propelled Mlambo to four man-of-thematch awards without anyone asking “what did he do?”. Consistency eludes him. That is an element of his game Mokwena is confident Mlambo, “who is extremely hard on himself and demands more from himself,” is more than capable of eradicating.
“He arrives at 8am and leaves at 6pm, analysing training, games, performances.
“He comes in with his notes and his corrections of his own individual performances. Players like Xola, when they play well they give you nine out of 10, and when they don’t play well, it is easy to see because they set such high standards.
“Xola has been very, very good in some matches and below par as per his standard in others. Football players are only as good as the support system, teammates, coaches, environment created around them.
“The direct influence that Xola has, at this moment in time, is the talented group of players at Pirates. His drive and passion has highlighted the player that we see.”
The challenge for those who want to be placed in the category of top players is to demonstrate that their greatness is not an episode, but an entire series.
“Part of the blessing of donning the Orlando Pirates jersey with great aplomb comes with the responsibility and the burden to find consistency with great performances week in and week out,” said Mokwena. The same applies to teams that are pretenders to the throne of champions Mamelodi Sundowns; in this instance, Pirates and Chiefs, who go into Saturday’s clash second and third respectively in the log standings. Four wins, four draws and two losses is the story of the Sea Robbers thus far in this Absa Premiership 2018-19 season.
“Losses are not failures. Draws are your
He has an unorthodox technique, very raw Rhulani Mokwena
Orlando Pirates assistant coach
failures when you know you should have won the game [but] you draw the game,” Mokwena said. “People will probably get tired of hearing this, but there will come a time when Pirates win convincingly and consistently. The only way to do that is through discomfort and failures. We regard draws as failures.”
Mlambo was a marvel when Bucs beat Chiefs 3-1 last season.
“He must not carry a backpack full of the past form and results, but focus on the match and not the occasion.” The former Black Poison, Cape Town All Stars, Chippa United and Wits midfielder possesses an array of abilities in his armoury. From a cognitive decision-making perspective, key to Mlambo’s game, is making the right decision at the right time by using his peripheral awareness and ability to see space and decide, even under pressure, to do the right thing.
“He has an unorthodox technique, very raw, but he finds precision within that rawness and more success in the outcome than players who use the right technique,” Mokwena said.
“Our players have got to value themselves as much as they value international stars. Had that backheel been executed in Europe, it would have stayed on the lips and minds of football fans for months.”