It’s looking too close to call
Phakaaathi’s Player-of-the-Month time again, and after some excellent performances in February, our writers have picked their four candidates for the award, with the winner announced in next week’s edition of Phakaaathi. For your chance to win R350 in airtime, simply follow the competition rules in the advert at the bottom of the page. Good luck! Andrea Fileccia
While it may have looked like Fadlu Davids’ inexperience or Maritzburg’s desperate financial status played a role in the team allowing Evans Rusike to join SuperSport United in January, the side have not felt his absence – and that’s all thanks to a new hero in town, Andrea Fileccia. The Belgian has allayed fears that the team would struggle for goals after Rusike. Fileccia started his run in February when he netted two against Swallows FC in a Nedbank Cup fixture. Although he didn’t score in the 2-0 win over AmaZulu, his runs opened space for the likes of Siphesihle Ndlovu and Bandile Shandu. He was back with another brace when he sank Platinum Stars – helping Maritzburg to go second. And one can only imagine what Fileccia can do once he is fully fit. “When Andrea signed we knew he came with a very bad injury, so it was about managing him. Under Ernst Middendorp he came back, but then he tore his quad. So it’s about not rushing him, it’s about building up game minutes,” said Davids.
KEYWORD: FILECCIA Musa Nyatama
Musa Nyatama’s presence in the heart of the the Orlando Pirates midfield has been one of the key elements that has seen the club make a huge improvement this season. The former Bloemfontein Celtic midfielder has been one of the top performers in the club. He has featured 22 times for the club and has scored two goals in all competitions since his arrival at the club in July last year. One of his splendid performances in February was the club’s 2-1 victory over Maritzburg United, which saw him being named Man-ofthe-Match after the victory, which moved the Bucs into second position in the league table. His contribution in defence and attack has worked very well for the Soweto giants and he will certainly be a key member of the team for the rest of the season as the Buccaneers continue with their bid to make up for last season’s disastrous campaign,which saw them fail to finish the season within the top half of the league standings for the first time in the PSL era.
KEYWORD: NYATAMA Sifiso Hlanti
Even with all of Bidvest Wits’ troubles this season, Sifiso Hlanti has been consistently excellent at leftback, whether defending resolutely, or offering width when the Clever Boys go on the attack. Despite a heavy workload, he has showed no sign of tiring, and had an excellent February, as Gavin Hunt’s side continued their climb up the Absa Premiership table. Hlanti’s fine cross set up Lehlohonolo Majoro for the equaliser against Kaizer Chiefs on February 3, and then in the February 17 win at Golden Arrows, his cross was nodded in by Gabadinho Mhango to give the Students the lead, and another delivery earned Wits a penalty for handball, even if it was actually an incorrect decision from referee Victor Gomes. Hlanti has also showed excellent powers of recovery on the left side of Wits’ defence, often having to sprint back from an attack to counter another team breaking at speed. He thoroughly merits his nomination for Player-of-the-Month for February.
KEYWORD: HLANTI Percy Tau
There is an overwhelming sense that the 16 Absa Premiership coaches will not have to think too much when they select their picks for the PSL Footballer-of-the-Season. Percy Tau is a player everyone is raving about and he is being tipped to clinch the coveted gong. What he achieved last month gives testament to the belief that the 23-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns attacker is regarded as the best we’ve seen this season. In a period where his coach Pitso Mosimane has adopted a player rotation policy at the club, Tau managed to start and finish all three of
Masandawana’s Absa Premiership games. That comes as no surprise as Mosimane has said Tau is important to the Brazilians much like global superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Tau scored in two of those three games, and also went on to help Downs advance to the last-16 of the Nedbank Cup when his goal was enough to eliminate Cape Town All Stars.
KEYWORD: TAU