Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes that her experienced players, such as Sassuolo midfielder Refiloe Jane and Mamelodi Sundowns defender Bambanani Mbane, would have an important role to play against the Super Falcons in their final hurdle for the Olympic qualifiers.
Learning from their past experiences in the qualifiers, Ellis believes it will be a key point for Banyana as they hunker down after arriving in Abuja on Sunday to intensify preparations ahead of their first-leg clash against the Super Falcons.
The match has been scheduled to come-off at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on 5 April, before playing the return leg four days later (April 9) at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
“The likes of Refiloe Jane, who’s lead this team with aplomb, Bambanani [Mbane] was absolutely magnificent at the World Cup, along with Bongeka Gamede – you need that experience because its players who’ve been in similar situations,” said Ellis.
“Having been in similar situations [equips those players] to be able to get out of the situations, which would really help us [against Nigeria].”
Ellis further stated she needed a mix of experience and youth to give the team more intensity.
“But we also have that enthusiasm of the youth, and I think that mix is what we needed to get right – you have Karabo Dhlamini, Nthabiseng Majiya, Fikile Magama, Sinoxolo and Noxolo [Cesane twins], those players coming through.
“So I think to get that mix right is really important for us as well, because you can have the experience, but you also need the little bit of youth to give you that freshness and the enthusiasm when you need them most.”
By: Pascal Amoah
