Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
De Sa calls on Lebusa to add that special ‘something’
Anything is possible, says form left-back of must-win Joburg semi
ROGER DE SA has been frank and honest about his relief at Mosa Lebusa’s return to the Ajax Cape Town starting team.
The enterprising left-back has been battling with a groin injury for quite some time, but was drafted back into the side for Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Free State Stars at the Cape Town Stadium. And, again, the 22-year-old put in a fantastic shift that had Ajax coach De Sa beaming with appreciation.
The Urban Warriors take on Wits in a MTN8 semi-final, second-leg tie in Joburg tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 3pm) – and De Sa is looking for another inspirational effort from a player who certainly deserves more than a second glance from national selectors.
Last season, Lebusa was one of the best left-backs on show in the Premier Soccer League, but now he cannot even get a look in at Under-23 level. And this is a player who wouldn’t be out of place in the senior Bafana Bafana squad.
Calm under pressure, composed in possession, fantastic passing skills, good reader of the game, a tough tackler and excellent in the air, Lebusa is a great prospect, both defensively and in attack.
And De Sa is one of his biggest admirers. “Getting Mosa back against Free State Stars was a big plus,” the Ajax coach said. “He made a huge difference to the team… he’s good defensively and, aerially, he adds something to our play.
“We had to rush him back a bit from the groin injury, which is why we took him off midway through the second half against Stars. It was just a precaution because we will need him against Wits tomorrow.”
In addition to Lebusa’s general contribution to the win over the Free Staters in the week, he also scored Ajax’s first goal. Stars had a few giants in defence, but Lebusa was able to soar above them and head in an equaliser that would eventually inspire the Capetonians to victory.
Needless to say, the player himself is simply happy to be back on the field again. The injury setback has been frustrating, especially after he had such a magnificent time last season.
“It’s great just to be back playing again,” he said. “The injury is coming along nicely… it’s getting better. I played for about 70 minutes without any discomfort against Stars.”
Labusa, however, admitted that Ajax were in for a tough outing against Wits.
“We are expecting the Cup semi-final to be extremely difficult,” he said. “We haven’t always done well against them in Joburg, they tend to get the better of us on their homeground. But this is a Cup game and anything is possible.”
Last season, Ajax made it to the final of the Nedbank Cup, where they were defeated on penalties by Mamelodi Sundowns. They are looking to qualify for another final tomorrow – and, this time, perhaps even going all the way.
“We came so close to winning some silverware for the club last season,” Lebusa said. “It’s a great feeling playing in a final and we want to do so again. I personally want to make sure that I work hard for the team, so that we can achieve our goals.”
Lebusa is, of course, on a mission. He is desperate to be part of the squad for the Caf U- 23 Championships, taking place in Senegal, in November. The top three countries at the tournament qualify for next year’s Rio Olympic Games in Brazil – and Lebusa would love to be part of that.
So, now that he is back fit and playing again, he needs to consistently prove to the Amaglug- glug selectors that they are making a huge mistake in omitting him from the squad.
Because, if the best U-23 left- back in the country can’t claim a place in the representative age-group team, then surely there is something seriously wrong with local football.