Some key Soweto Derby battles…
Hello, Dolly! Ben there, done that: Dolly v Motshwari
In recent weeks, Keagan Dolly has returned to something resembling his best level. Just over a month ago, he was dropped from the Bafana Bafana squad by Hugo Broos. He had lost his starting place at Kaizer Chiefs amid some indifferent form at the end of last season – just two goals and one assist in the final 13 league matches of the campaign – and at the start of this term. Coach Arthur Zwane dropped him against both AmaZulu FC (in the league) and SuperSport United, whilst he was also left on the bench for the MTN8 semi-final first leg against Usuthu. He came on to score in the second half and has since followed that up by scoring against Swallows FC and TS Galaxy in the DStv Premiership. The Westbury-born lad’s top form has been in the central number 10 role, where Zwane prefers using him. That puts him in direct confrontation with Orlando Pirates’ holding midfielder. With the huge blow for Jose Riveiro of losing Miguel Timm to suspension after picking up four yellow cards, it will fall on a different player to pick up the pint-sized attacker between the lines. The most likely selection is for Ben Motshwari to play in that number six role, although Goodman Mosele could also play as a pure holding midfielder. Whichever player gets the nod, he will have a tough time replacing the ballplaying and tempo-dictating role which Timm performs so well. However, you could argue that both Motshwari and Mosele are stronger defensively than the former Marumo Gallants man and may be better placed to nullify Dolly. However, having seen Timm’s incredible display against Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend, it’s a huge blow to lose him for this derby. He makes Pirates tick and has arguably been one of the PSL’s best signings.
I’ll Choppa you down young man: Saleng v Hlanti
The emergence of 24-year-old leftfooted winger Monnapule Saleng has been a huge boost to the Houghtonbased side in recent weeks. Having coming through at Orbit College, he top-scored in the National First Division in the 2020/21 season with 13 goals. The Soweto giants signed him for a reported R2 million fee, but he was loaned straight out to the Birds. Coach Dylan Kerr started him regularly, but his season at the club read just two goals in over 2,000 minutes. He has netted successive braces for Pirates against Golden Arrows and Sundowns and has truly won over Riveiro, after getting just four minutes in the first nine fixtures of this season. This derby will see the direct, aggressive Saleng against the vastly experienced Sifiso Hlanti. The latter has come back from a serious Achilles injury in good form and has started 10 matches in a row now, lasting 90 minutes or more in all of those. The 32-year-old isn’t as fast as he once was and won’t want to find himself isolated against Saleng down that flank. With Thabiso Monyane also arriving from deep areas on the overlap, Hlanti will be desperate to be supported defensively on Saturday. Whoever wins this direct battle will go a long way towards helping their team take the three points on offer.
Yus snooze, you lose: Ndlondlo v Maart
On transfer deadline day, the Buccaneers moved to sign Ndlondlo from Gallants to increase their creativity in central midfield areas. He has taken to life at the club like a duck to water. His ability in tight spaces has mostly seen the diminutive schemer used as one of the two number 10s in a 3-4-2-1 shape. However, the move to more of a 4-3-3 in recent games has seen him a bit deeper as an attacking number eight where he is arguably able to do his best work. Ndlondlo’s second-last match for he was absolutely outstanding for the entire 90 minutes, even when his side
were down to 10 men. He was rightfully declared Man of the Match and may have earned his move to Pirates that day. In Yusuf Maart, we have a player quite different to Ndlondlo in that the former Sekhukhune United star has a wider passing range and is more twofooted. Zwane’s recent team selections have seen a 4-3-3 set-up where Njabulo Blom is a defined defensive midfielder and Maart has the freedom to get forward into the final third. Some recent outings from the Bafana Bafana international have been hit-and-miss and his long-range shooting has been especially wasteful at times. For the Glamour Boys to win this game, Maart needs to do a good job defensively on Ndlondlo but also to find time and space to hit those raking Hollywood passes that he loves so much. A great tussle awaits in the engine room, where so many derbies have been won and lost in the past.