Hunt keeps Wits about him Riyaad relishing his chance to learn from Benni
‘No risk’ approach from coach brings early results against Soweto giants
THERE’S a popular aphorism that reads: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Bidvest Wits were crowned Absa Premiership champions in May 2017, but then slumped to a disappointing 13th position last season.
In essence, while coach Gavin Hunt had initially steered the Clever Boys on to the right track, they had subsequently failed to move forward; they sat there and nearly got run over.
So, as a football coach, what do you do the following season? Well, it’s simple: things have to change, and drastically too.
Hunt would have gathered his technical staff around him in a think-tank and tried to hammer out all the failings of last season. They would have come up with numerous weaknesses: no calm, composed head in defence; too many ageing players; a definite lack of pace in their overall game; no creativity out wide; and, crucially, they weren’t getting goals.
These are just a few. No doubt, Hunt and his band of merry men would have isolated quite a few more areas that needed to be seriously looked at, changed and strengthened.
Having done that, the next port of call would be to find the players to fit into Hunt’s new vision.
That was done this season and, boy, with the new PSL campaign just two weeks old, Wits have really caught the eye. Three wins out of three, including victories over Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, and the Clever Boys are setting a brutal pace at the top of the PSL standings.
The message is clear: the other clubs are going to have to go some to stay in touch.
So let’s look at what Hunt has done and how things have changed.
The top priority was to bring in a cool-headed central defender with great touch and smooth passing ability and Hunt found his man in Robyn Johannes.
Snatched from Cape Town City, Johannes is the type of footballer a coach can build his team around. Unflappable, he is a brilliant reader of the game and a master of initiating attacking moves from his position in the centre of defence.
With the unruffled Johannes holding things together at the back, alongside pugnacious club captain Thulani Hlatshwayo, the all-round class of Buhle Mkhwanazi and the power and relentless drive of Sifiso Hlanti, Wits have a formidable defence. It’s already clear at this early stage of the season it’s going to be difficult to break this lot down.
While Hunt has a number of options in central midfield, like Thabang Monare, Granwald Scott and Daylon Claasen, he also needed to find an organiser, a player able to combine combat mode with intelligent movement and excellent passing skill – and, here, he got Cole Alexander.
The former Ajax Cape Town, Chippa United, Polokwane City and Supersport United man has seamlessly come into the side and, more importantly, his presence has allowed Monare to flourish.
Modern football is all about speed and athleticism. Watch re-runs of old games and you will quickly notice the difference between football then and now. Then, it was all a bit pedestrian; now, it’s all about pace.
It’s also about youth and vigour and freshness because there was something very stale about Wits’ participation in the last campaign.
To change this aspect of their game, Wits brought in Deon Hotto, Terrence Dzvukamanja, Gift Motupa, Mxolisi Macuphu and Haashim Domingo.
With the addition of these players, Hunt’s team has more thrust, more speed, more creativity and, crucially, more penetration.
They are able to get behind defences, while, at the same time, each of them is capable of moments of individual brilliance which can change the course of a game.
The football they play may at times not be everybody’s cup of tea, but Wits don’t care. Check the scoreboard, have a look at the PSL log; in the end, this sport is about three points.
But don’t be fooled that it’s boring football, it’s not: it’s called effective, no-risk football. Let the opposition have the ball, then stay organised, stay in shape, and when they lose the ball, that’s the time when Wits are at their most dangerous, and their most exciting.
Even more, as a whole, there’s a greater cohesion, character and spirit about this Wits bunch compared to what we saw last season.
They operate as a team, they graft for each other and, it has to be said again, teams may have to steal a few cranes from building sites around the country to try to break them down.
In closing, it’s important to highlight Wits’ capture of the hugely promising Domingo.
As a junior in the Ajax academy, there was always talk that the technically-gifted youngster would be the next big thing to hit SA football.
However, after a drawn-out contractual dispute with the Cape club, and then numerous trials with clubs in the Netherlands, Belgium‚ Denmark and Germany, he finally landed up at Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes.
He only managed game time in the Portugal team’s reserves, which is why Hunt has been able to lure the 23-year-old back with a promise of regular top-level football.
Domingo came on as a substitute in the win over Pirates in midweek, where he demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that he is a footballer on the rise.
Remember the name: you’ll be hearing a lot more of it during the season. CAPE TOWN: The charm of the Mother City, together with the charisma of Benni Mccarthy, has revitalised the career of Riyaad Norodien.
Having signed a five-year deal with Cape Town City in June this year, the 23-year-old winger has quickly endeared himself to the club’s faithful followers with some scintillating displays in the opening two weeks of the new Absa Premiership season.
City host Golden Arrows in a Premier Soccer League fixture at the Cape Town Stadium today (6pm kick-off) and Norodien, is determined to continue the impact he has made at his new club.
He’s motivated, he’s hungry, and he can’t wait to get going again.
More than that, the influence of Mccarthy has had on his game is already there for all to see.
“I feel like a kid again playing for City and being coached by Benni,” said Norodien.
“It’s taken my game to another level. Being back in Cape Town makes me feel great; there’s just something about Cape Town you can’t get anywhere else.
“I’m happy that I get to see my family often again, so this has been a great move for me.
“I jumped at the opportunity to join City. Benni played a big role in that decision. As players we always looked up to him, and admired what he achieved, so to be coached by him is a real boost for my confidence.”
Norodien is from Kensington and was a promising junior at popular amateur club Norway Parks.
t was during an under-10s match for Parks against Ajax Cape Town that the then-psl club were alerted to his huge potential.
He was taken up in the Ajax youth academy, where he blossomed into a real top talent.
But, just as he was about to break into senior football, he found himself at the centre of an ugly contractual dispute
pictured,
with Ajax – and he subsequently spent 15 months idle on the sidelines.
Eventually, when everything was sorted, Norodien returned and immediately impressed then-ajax coach Roger de Sa, who handed him a PSL debut.
He continued to impress and soon landed a transfer to Orlando Pirates in June 2016 – and he also had a loan spell at Platinum Stars.
This season, with Mccarthy keen to add some thrust and creativity to his attack, Norodien was at the top of the shopping list.
Now, having already made his presence felt at City, the winger is confident of bringing even more fire and energy to his team’s offensive approach.
“I think being consistent is something I want to bring to City,” he said.
“I want to create chances, score goals, deliver good set-pieces and just work hard for the team overall.
“For me, I am always thinking, ‘If they see your talent, they’ll come and get you’.” Norodien also gave some insight into his time at Pirates.
“I didn’t play much,” he said.
“Sometimes injuries, sometimes there were other things in the way, that’s why I was okay with going on loan (to Platinum).
“It helped me get back on track. The move to Pirates, though, was good for my career at the time – and, overall, I learnt a lot at the club.”
As for Arrows today, Norodien is confident, but cautious.
“For us, we don’t regard any game as easy, so we’ll approach this game against Arrows the same as we did for the Supersport game (City won 2-0),” he said.
“We hope for exactly the same outcome too. That would be ideal. We know Arrows are a different team, who play on the counter-attack, so we need to look to stop them by pressing them in the right areas.
The coaches have cooked up a plan, so it’s just up to us to go out and execute that plan.”