Fatigue not an excuse to fail – Yeye
WRITER AFANA Bafana midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane has called for fatigued players to give their level best in the national team’s World Cup qualifying matches against Central African Republic and Ethiopia, away from home next month.
It’s been a long season of club football, where clubs sometimes had to play two or three matches a week because of the long break in January (due to the Africa Cup of Nations). And now, just two weeks after the curtains closed on the season here at home, the players have to go into the national team camp to start preparing for the international friendly against Lesotho on Sunday and the two World Cup qualifiers.
Letsholonyane admits to being
Btired after the season he had with league and cup double winning Kaizer Chiefs, but has promised that Bafana will soldier on and be mentally strong to ensure they collect maximum points in their crucial away matches. “Yes, we are feeling a bit tired because it has been a long season, but the job has to be done because obviously we want to qualify for the World Cup in 2014,” Letsholonyane said yesterday.
“Yes, we need rest, but we don’t have a choice but to go out there and play for the team and make sure we make the country proud. This is part of our job as footballers.
“Playing away from home is difficult, so we have to be mentally strong. You need to have the mental strength more than anything when you are playing away. You lose games mainly because of the things that have been done to you before going onto the field. If we are strong mentally, then half the job is done.
“We have to give it our all. We just need to get it over and done with and then the off season starts for us.”
Last year Bafana struggled to assert themselves in World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and Botswana, matches they drew before then head coach Pitso Mosimane was fired. Those matches were played almost immediately after a long season of club football.
Letsholonyane does not think current coach Gordon Igesund, who won his first qualifier in March against CAR, will suffer the same fate this year, the midfielder predicting a win in both matches they are due to play next month.
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t win those matches last year. We drew at home and drew away. These are matches we wanted to win. Look, I don’t think playing the qualifiers after a long season affects us. Personally, I think having those games after the long season is good. It’s better to play the games when you are match-fit rather than when you are not.”
Letsholonyane, one of the players Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has called to be rested for this weekend’s international friendly with Lesotho, has challenged his teammates to win so that they go into their last match against Botswana in September, at home, on top of Group A.
After the embarassing scenes at Mbombela two years ago, when Bafana thought they had qualified for 2012 only to find out it was not the case, Letsholonyane clearly wants to finish the job before the final group match.
Bafana are second in Group A on five points, two behind leaders Ethiopia.
“We are two points behind Ethiopia at the moments. If we win our next two matches, that will put us on top of the table. So it’s important to get the points that we need. We don’t want to depend on other teams to do us favours towards the end. If we win our next two away matches, our chances of qualifying for the World Cup will be very high.”
Letsholonyane feels the injuries to Tsepo Masilela, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Siboniso Gaxa will not affect the side because there are able replacements in the local league to help Bafana qualify.
“Obviously the coach picks the players he needs. And when there is injuries, his plans change in a way. But I think there are plenty players in the PSL who are good enough to replace them and do the job.”