Matlou adds dribbling and style

The addition of George Matlou – who was recently called up to the Bafana Bafana squad for the CHAN qualifiers – looks like a calculated gamble. If he can stay fit and get into the team regularly, he brings nimble feet and the ability to break lines with his dribbling. His 2021/22 season at Swallows was pretty mixed. In the first 11 league matches, he started all of them and played very well. A regular ploy was to see him make underlapping inside-to-outside runs from a position on the right of a three-man central midfield trio. However, the Birds only scored twice in those 11 fixtures and Matlou wasn’t able to assist or create a great deal. The last part of the campaign saw him struggle with injuries and form, leading to just two starts in the final 11 games. His best role certainly looks to be one with attacking freedom and defensive cover around him. He isn’t likely to play to his best level in a double pivot and he also isn’t a number 10. Like Sithebe, he looks like the archetypal number eight and would be best used in a 4-3-3 formation in the midfield trio.