A rude awakening for South Africa
Banyana Banyana's European adventure ended with two losses and plenty of lessons to learn ahead of their WAFCON defense coming in the summer.
With just over six months until the Women’s AFCON in Morocco, South Africa were given a hiding by a couple of European heavyweights. Banyana Banyana were thrashed 5-0 by Denmark in Ålborg before claiming a far more credible 2-1 loss in Coventry to World Cup finalists England.
The result comes off the back of South Africa being narrowly beaten 1-0 over two legs by old rivals Nigeria in Olympic qualification. And because the AFCON that was meant to be last summer was postponed, the memories of a first ever WAFCON title and a best ever World Cup performance are quickly vanishing.
But what are the takeaways for coach Ellis and where can the team improve to defend their continental crown in July?
Familiar problems at the back
Desiree Ellis is not only one of the most inspirational figures in South African football history, but she has made South Africa a thrilling, ball-playing team that entertains in every match. At the World Cup 18 months ago, Banyana Banyana were arguably the most exciting team to watch. In four games they scored six goals and conceded eight while provided moments of attacking brilliance and defensive gaffs in equal measure. They nearly held out for a win against Sweden, threw away a 2-0 win against Argentina to draw before beating Italy 2-3 in the best game of the tournament (Thembi Kgatlana 92nd minute winner will stay with me until I die).
But for all the team’s talents on the ball, it is defensively where they have really struggled in recent years, particularly at set pieces. At the World Cup, of the eight goals they conceded, four came from corners and another two came from crosses. Sweden, in particular, could have scored four or five if their finishing was better from corners. And at that Achilles heal was no less vulnerable this last week. Both Denmark and England scored their opening goals from corners and grabbed another from headed crosses.
It doesn’t help that Banyana still have not been able to solve their goalkeeping quandary which is perhaps the most frustrating of all the issues. Andile “Sticks” Dlamini was for many years the number one for South Africa. The Mamelodi Sundowns keeper was the keeper of the tournament at the WAFCON and has been generally excellent for both South Africa and Sundowns in their two CAF Champions League title runs. But mysteriously at the World Cup she was dropped with many linking it to her role as one of the leaders of the boycott that the team did when they refused to play Botswana in a pre-tournament friendly because of the appalling conditions of the facilities.
Kaylin Swart came into the team and while she is an excellent shot stopper and distributor, she did not have the same presence in the box and has notoriously struggled with set pieces. Dlamini has slowly been reintegrated into the squad but hasn’t been able to nail down the starting spot, whether because of political reasons or not, we don’t know. With Nigeria and Zambia both possessing players with great strength in the air and Morocco having the best set piece taker on the continent in Ghizlane Chebbak, South Africa will have to sort their set piece woes before this summer.
It also points to the fact that Kaylin Swart is simply not a professional player. She plays for Janine Van Wyk’s team in the Super League in South Africa but she works full time as well and can only train on the weekend. While most of the other domestically based players in Banyana’s squad are professional at Sundowns, they still play in a league that isn’t professional and so those aspects such as physicality of players can’t be honed in the same way that they can be for English and Danish players. If anything, to play a team with six players who are in a semi-professional league and come away with only a 2-1 loss against England should be considered a success for Ellis.
Thembi Kgatlana will terrify any defense
Leah Williamson and Alex Greenwood will be waking up in cold sweats for weeks to come thinking about their terror that is Thembi Kgatlana.
Not only is Kgatlana ruthless in front of goal, unbelievably quick and an intelligent runner, but her defensive work is unmatched. At times against England she was a one-woman pressing machine, constantly forcing defensive errors and pulling South Africa back into the game after pouncing on Williamson’s misplaced pass.
This game also showed the more creative elements of Kgatlana’s play as well. She loved to drop deep and allow for the Cesane twins and Hildah Magaia run beyond her where she could pick them out. But we also saw her searing pace on show where time and time again she would get the better of Greenwood, arguably England’s most physically dominant centre back. If she had just timed her run slightly better we would talking about a famous draw for South Africa but her 73rd minute equaliser was chalked off for offside.
With the Cesane twins backing her up and Hildah Magaia’s pace and finishing, Banyana Banyana showed that they have the most complete attack that Africa has to offer, all without Jermaine Seoposenwe, who will add more presence in the box when she returns to the squad.
But what will make South Africans more excited than perhaps anything is the fact that they won the WAFCON without Kgatlana who ruptured her Achilles tendon in the group stage. It was a tournament that the collective stepped up to win the tournament with the likes of Magaia, Seoposenwe and Linda Motlhalo all chipping with important goals.
If Ellis can tighten up that defense ahead of a WAFCON where some of the greatest attackers in the world like Barbra Banda, Rachel Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala will all be firing, then South Africa’s brilliance on the ball will once again light up Morocco. This time that brilliance will be backed up by one of Africa’s most lethal forwards.
With Nigeria smarting from the last tournament, Zambia’s dynamic duo looking like the best forward line in the world, Morocco now coached by World Cup winner Jorge Vilda and even Ghana re-emerging as a giant of the African game, this summer’s WAFCON promises to be a phenomenal spectacle.