It’s always a concern

“Yes, it was not professional from our side, but…”

“When coach Sead Ramovic came in, it was like a mixture of both.”

Usually the smallest player on the pitch, TS Galaxy midfielder Ethan Brooks probably has the biggest heart. No matter who he’s up against, the 20-year-old always plays his heart out and makes sure he is not easily bullied by opponents bigger in size. After finishing ninth with the club in his first season in

the topflight in 2020/21, the current campaign has been a more stressful one. The relegation battle at the moment is unpredictable and there’s hardly any room to slip. It’s players like Brooks who will need to step up in the last few weeks of the season to ensure the club does not go down to the GladAfrica Championship. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, the Bafana Bafana player talks about how it is all a blessing in disguise for him.

Tshepang Mailwane: How big was that recent victory over Orlando Pirates, considering how tight things are at the bottom of the DStv Premiership standings?

Ethan Brooks: It was massive. It showed even after the game with how everyone celebrated. It was massive because we know where we are sitting on the log, so it was something that we really needed. Those points were massive for us. Everyone stuck together and we had that mindset that we needed to win. When we got to the stadium, everyone was ready to play, and it showed. After we scored, everyone stuck together. Pogiso (Sanoka) put his body on the line twice, if I am not mistaken. It showed that we wanted the points.

TM: Why is it that you’ve not really delivered as a team this season just as you did against Bucs?

EB:

I think it was a change of mindset. I’m not saying in the other games we were not focused, but I feel like in the last few games, there has been a change in mindset for all of us, to work together as a team. We know how important it is to survive and that has helped us a lot in recent weeks.

TM: Last season, TS Galaxy finished ninth on the table and, in fact, missed out on a Top Eight spot by a whisker. That makes this season’s struggles somewhat hard to understand…

EB:

It’s a process. I mean, not everything is going to go your way. Last season, there was a change of coaches. Everyone wanted to play and work hard. It was our first season. Again, this season there was a change of coach. I feel like with that change, everyone was still trying to adapt to how the coach wanted us to play. Everyone was still trying to find their feet. It’s not like we did not

want to play, but I feel like a change of coaches led to what happened last season and this season. We had coach Dan Malesela (last season) and his playing style is more about keeping the ball. Then coach Owen (da Gama) was more direct. When coach Sead Ramovic came in, it was like a mixture of both. Once we started understanding him, it got a bit better. Everyone who is watching can say that TS Galaxy is a football-playing team, so he has done well so far.

TM: Could this be the reason that you’ve recently gone on a run of four matches as a team without a defeat in the last few weeks?

EB:

I think that’s something we wanted to improve, going into each game knowing that there is a possibility that we can get three points or at least a point, because every point is crucial when you look at where we are sitting on the log.

TM: For you, a 20-yearold who’s not been in the professional ranks for long, this fight for survival must be quite an experience!

EB:

To be honest, it’s really a blessing in disguise because not every footballer my age gets to experience this. So, for me, it’s a blessing because of how I manage it mentally and emotionally. It’s good that it’s happening early in my career because if ever I find myself in this position again, I will know how to deal with it. Everything that matters happens on the pitch, especially when you are fighting relegation. Every mistake you make could be costly, so it’s a learning curve at the same time. It’s really good. There’s also finding a balance of how I manage my

emotions.

TM: On that note, what do you make of your contribution in 2021/22?

EB:

I would say I’m happy, but at the same time, not really that much. From the beginning of the season, I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I’d like to add some goals and assists to my statistics. I’ve gotten really close. But, in a nutshell, I feel I’ve contributed well. The coaches and my teammates have helped, but it’s just goals and assists that I need to work on.

TM: Yes, since joining the club last season, you’ve not scored or assisted.

EB: It’s always a concern, especially for the people outside. But for me, it’s a thing of not wanting to put too much pressure on myself, but at the same time, I have to add that to my game. If it comes, then it comes. God willing, I hope it happens soon.

TM: Why have you not scored or assisted a goal since linking up with the Rockets?

EB: I would say in some games, I’ve found that I’m not in the right areas and then there are times when I do get into good areas and I find myself not putting the ball into the back of the net. But it’s all something I can improve on. I still have a long way ahead of me.

TM: Have the coaches discussed this with you?

EB: Yes, definitely. I also would speak to coaches and tell them that this is what I’d like to do. They encourage me to shoot more. There are times where I feel I could have shot more and where I could have passed.

It’s all going to happen.

TM: A lot of the time people look at the goals and assists of an attacking midfielder, so what would you say has attracted Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos to you, seeing he’s selected you consistently since he was appointed last year?

EB: I feel he has already gone over why, after the game against Ghana. Personally, I feel the work ethic that I put in when I’m with my club and the national team, I think that’s something he has recognised. I don’t know how I can say it, but he is big on believing in his players. For me, at my age, (for Broos) to put me in is something that is going to motivate me to carry on working hard and contributing to my team.

TM: Tell us about what the experience of playing for the national team has done for your game and mentality.

EB: It’s really helped me a lot. The first time I worked under coach Hugo was very different because he comes from Europe and things are done differently (there). That was also something that helped me. Even when I play against guys from the different teams, it really opens my eyes to areas (where) I need to improve my game. It’s always nice to be part of the national team because I’m always learning and growing when I am there, especially playing against other African teams. The guys are bigger and stronger than me, so it’s nice to see where I am and what level I’m at.

TM: So, how do you handle playing against players who are bigger and stronger than you?

EB: I like to prepare myself mentally, before I even go into camp. I do tell myself that I’m smaller and younger, so I prepare myself. It helps me a lot when I do that and, like I said, I have a coach who believes in me and everyone else in the squad, so it makes me comfortable when I get

onto the pitch.

TM: How different is the pressure of playing for Bafana, where, unlike at club level, you have a whole nation that’s always ready to praise or criticize the team and players’ performances?

EB:

There’s always going to be pressure at club level and the national team. It’s always going to be 10 times worse when you are in the national team because people have so much to say. At the end of the day, if I let it get to me, it can hinder my performance with the national team. It’s all about how I handle that pressure.

TM: Do you feel you’ve handled it well?

EB: So far, yes I have. I have family and friends around me who helped me deal with it.

TM: Are there any comments you have seen about you or your performances in national team colours on social media?

EB: Not really. I tend to not go check because if I do go check, it can hinder my mindset and my performance and all of that. So, I try to stay away from it. And even if people come to me and say, ‘Have you seen this or have you seen that?’, I just try to brush it off.

TM: Watching Bafana against France in March from the bench, what did you take out of it?

EB:

There was so much that I took out of that game. You get to watch these guys on TV, but watching them live is something else. You watch players in your position, how they move and how they scan… all of these little things that people might not see. So, for me, it was about getting to see that. As a national team, I don’t feel that we are that far off. Those guys spent about four or five years together, so they know how each player plays. If we were to get that same opportunity of the same group of players playing together, it would be so much better.

TM: You feel that would take the national team to another level?

EB:

For sure. They were also in a building phase. When you look at where they were in 2010 and where they are now, it’s a whole different team. Players understand each other because they’ve been together for the last few years.

TM: There was a lot of criticism on the players for rushing to take selfies with the likes of Paul Pogba after the game…

EB:

Yes, we were there to play and at the end of the day, that was always our intention. Our intention was to go play against Guinea and France. But like I said, you get to see these guys. Yes, it was not professional to take the pictures directly after the game, but it’s a once-in-alifetime opportunity. If people were there, I’m sure they would have done the same thing. It’s about how you look at it. Yes, it was not professional from our side, but at the end of the day, it’s guys that you don’t get to see every day.

TM: Did coach Broos have anything to say about it after the game?

EB: He did not have much to say. Coach Hugo is not the type of guy to come in and shout. He was happy with the performance. He understood that we were playing against France and that we might not win, but he was happy that the guys showed that they wanted to play.

TM: After doing well in the World Cup qualifiers, how important is it to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations?

EB: We showed that we really wanted to be at the World Cup, so it’s going to be the same going into the Afcon qualifiers. With the Afcon qualifiers coming, we are going to continue where we left off.

TM: Lastly, will Galaxy survive relegation?

EB: I’m confident we will.

TM: Good luck then! EB: Thank you. ❐ @T_Mailwane