Ajax youth to replace the walking wounded
Star player Norodien putting teamwork ahead of individual goals
ROGER DE SA has his fingers firmly crossed as he awaits news from the medical department ahead of Ajax Cape Town’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) fixture against Maritzburg United at the Cape Town Stadium tomorrow night (kick-off 8.15pm).
In addition to the injury concerns in the Ajax squad, there are several walking wounded. It’s going to be a case of the medical staff patching up a few players as best they can in order for them to do battle against Maritzburg. But, if things don’t go according to plan, De Sa may have to call on a few of the youngsters recently promoted from the club’s youth development programme.
Influential regulars like Granwald Scott, Mosa Lebusa and Tashreeq Morris are out injured – they will play no part against Maritzburg.
The biggest blow for De Sa, though, could be inspirational new signing Ndiviwe Mdabuka. The energetic central midfield came off with a calf strain in last week’s 1-1 MTN8 semi-final, first-leg tie against Wits. He was given a rest earlier this week – but, when returning to training yesterday, pulled up again. De Sa admitted that Mdabuka would be a great loss, especially considering his performances this season.
Nathan Paulse and Milton Ncube, though, are back injury-free again, but De Sa was adamant that striker Paulse wasn’t 90-minutes fit. He would be able to play a role against Maritzburg, but the coach wasn’t prepared to push him too hard and risk him breaking down again.
“Look, we just have to see how it goes,” said De Sa. “We’ll assess things the day before kick-off, see how players have responded to treatment, and then make a decision on the starting team.
“If need be, it could provide opportunities for others in the squad – and some of the new youngsters may have to step in.
“We may also have to shuffle things around, perhaps even change the formation. There’s a possibility we may have just three defenders fit and ready, which means we may have to play with three at the back. But those decisions will be made closer to the game, once we have all the information from the medical staff.”
As for Maritzburg tomorrow night, De Sa had no illusions as to the difficult task awaiting his team.
“I always look at how we’ve fared against the opposition,” he said. “Last season, we drew 0-0 against Maritzburg, and then lost 1-0 away from home. So we only picked up one point against them… our challenge is to improve on that.
“But it won’t be easy. Maritzburg are an organised, compact, fit and physical team. They have a new coach (Mandla Ncikazi) and he and his team will have their own expectations and dreams. They won’t change much, they’ve got more or less the same squad, while Mandla was the assistant last season, and has his way of doing things.
“For us, though, it’s a home game. Last season, we only lost once at home – to Kaizer Chiefs – and we have to focus on maintaining that achievement.”
A player keen to continue his impact on the PSL is 20-year-old Riyaad Norodien. He hit domestic football like a comet in the closing stages of the last campaign. After sorting out a contractual dispute with Ajax, he was immediately flung into the team – and, boy, was he impressive. This season, he has continued in the same fashion, delivering another eye-catching display in a preseason friendly against Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon.
“I think last season nobody knew me and I took many teams by surprise,” said Norodien. “Now, however, I’m focusing more on my teamwork rather than individual contributions. It’s something the coach has asked me to work on… I’m adding that to my game, I’m putting it in, and as I grow as a player, I will get even better.
“But, for me, it’s just great to be back playing at Cape Town Stadium. This ground suits our style, suits our system, while the field is big and allows us more space on the ball. It’s good to be on a familiar surface…”