Siyanda strides with soccer giants
Bafana defender walks tall in Russia
SIYANDA Xulu is striding with footballing giants in Russia that include Samuel Eto’o and Hulk, he says.
Against the odds, Xulu has risen to the challenge of the physicality, pace, aggression and biting cold of Russian football — in addition to arriving five games into the season — and earned six appearances in his first seven months at FC Rostov.
He’s been man of the match in two of those, both goalless draws, marking two of the biggest names in their Premier League — Eto’o, who plays for Anzhi Makhachkala, in November, and former Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe, who plays for Alania Vladikavkaz, two weeks ago.
“I marked him well,” Xulu said of his encounter with the great Cameroonian Eto’o.
“I was one of the best players on the pitch, according to the Russian analysis system.”
There certainly seems a greater air of confidence about the 22-year-old from KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal, who had trials with Barcelona and Arsenal as a shy teen and was part of Carlos Parreira ’ s Bafana training camp for the 2010 World Cup.
At 1.88m, Xulu is above average height as a centre-back in South Africa, but says many of the forwards in Russia tower over him.
“My reading of the game has improved a lot. In Europe, the game’s much quicker — when they close you down it’s like ‘ click’, it’s in a second. In Eastern Europe it’s especially quick and aggressive. Most of the guys are above my height. It’s a good learning curve.
“It’s about playing to your strengths. I know sometimes you have to bump the striker, but mostly let him do what he’s not comfortable with. Stand off him — when you’re not there he’s looking for you. When you’re always at his back it’s his game.”
Xulu was signed on a four-year contract, so there’s not been too much pressure to break into Rostov quickly. The faith shown in him by Montenegrin coach Miodrag Bozovic saw him earn game time quicker than he expected. It was at Bozovic’s insistence that Rostov kept going back to Sundowns in June last year when the Pretoria club were asking for full value for
‘ I had to force my way in despite being smaller ’
their defender.
“When I came to Rostov they were five games into the season. The core of the team was there. I had to force my way in, despite their height, despite being smaller. I had to show the coach what I can do on the field. My confidence grew when the coach signed me on the last day of the Russian window period on August 4. Rostov spoke to Sundowns five times, so that was pretty impressive to me and gave me confidence.”
Where once there would have been a sizable welcoming committee of countrymen plying their trade in Russia, the youngster is now the lone South African in the league.
His girlfriend, who gave birth to a son in January, is still in SA until Xulu learns the language and adapts more comfortably.
“My first two months were hard. Acclimatising to the weather, language, the culture of a team, and being there by myself. But I think I’ve settled now. I’m playing, I’m happy.
“People in Rostov know about South Africans and the way we perform. It’s just a normal club with average players who want to achieve — not a big club like Spartak Moscow or Zenit St Petersburg. It’s a good club for me to establish myself.”