Boxall: Everyone knows what to do in defence
JOHANNESBURG: It’s not quite the drastic switch at the back for SuperSport United, a la Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in the English Premier League, to fix a defence that leaked like a rusty bucket last season. But right-back Michael Boxall, a key member of what is now a watertight rearguard which will be tested by Cape Town City in the Telkom Knockout final tomorrow night, said there was no confusion about roles.
SuperSport finished the previous campaign with the second worst defensive record among the teams in the Top 8 bracket having let in 38 goals in 30 matches in a season that started with Gordon Igesund as coach before he was sacked in January and replaced by Stuart Baxter. It’s early days yet in the 2016-17 term, but Matsatsantsa have conceded the least number of goals (jointly with Mamelodi Sundowns, who have four games in hand) from 12 PSL games and weren’t breached on the road to tomorrow’s final against City.
“Since Stuart has come in, everyone knows exactly what they have to do. It’s not only the back four, I mean (Jeremy) Brockie, Bradley (Grobler) and all the players are up to defend at the back,” Boxall explained. “It is crystal clear what the job is in each situation. Stuart’s plan has made things so much easier and so predictable. We are harder to break down and you can see it by the fact that we haven’t let in too many goals this season.”
Even with changes in central defence, like when Clayton Daniels has been partnered with either Morgan Gould or Mario Booysen and the inevitable introduction of 2015 Football of the Year Tefu Mashamaite once he’s recovered from injury, SuperSport haven’t looked lost in their cohesion.
“When one player goes out, it’s like the same player goes in really,” Boxall said.
“That is the nature of the team, not dependant on one individual only and that is where our strength lies. Experience definitely helps as well. Morgan (Gould) and Clayton (Daniels) are quality players and Clayton deserves his chance with the national team because he’s been playing very well. Young Denwin Farmer is a top prospect.”
SuperSport have already been tested in a department that, if not given the attention it deserves, can cost you league titles and domestic trophies. They faced defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarter-finals of the cup and defended with their lives while playing with 10 men after left-back Onismor Bhasera was red-carded on the hour mark. Baxter’s men then beat Orlando Pirates to book a date with City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium and still kept the opposition from scoring.
Boxall, however, admits that if they aren’t able to stop City’s terrible twins – captain Lebogang Manyama and winger Aubrey Ngoma – to win the cup, then their impressive road to the final will be a distant memory.
“They seem to score against any team,” Boxall said of the log leaders, who have scored 17 goals from 12 matches and thumped Bloemfontein Celtic 2-0 in the opening round of the Telkom Knockout, beat Baroka FC 4-3 in a pulsating quarter-final and made Free State Stars look like rookies, thrashing them 4-1 in the semis.