Banyana Banyana of South Africa coach Desiree Ellis has revealed the factors that informed her choice of players for this week’s match in Nigeria.
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Banyana are set to take on the nine time African champions this Friday at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, in a final qualification fixture for the 2024 Olympic Games and Ellis admitted that beating the Super Falcons would be a difficult task.
The South Africans are the current continental champions and have beaten their eternal rivals in recent years, but Ellis admitted she has to be cautious and thorough in her choice of players.
Consequently, the African women coach of the year revealed that she opted for a blend of old and new players in order to strike the right balance between experience and vibrancy needed for Friday’s match in Abuja.
Ellis expatiated, “We recalled some of the older players, and they are all coming back with great expectations. We need players with great impact, who can make a difference in matches.
“We took our time before announcing the list on Thursday because we want to consider all our options. We want to give other players a chance, but we also need those with experience.
“The idea is to provide stability, not just for the players, but for us, the crew. This is the final round, and we need players whose mentality we can trust.
“Sometimes players come into camp with a different mentality from what we gave them in the previous camp.
That’s why we need to get the right combinations when we give others opportunities.
These are what informed our opinion, with the make-up of the squad.”
Ellis admitted further that, while some players are back in the squad, she will still be counting on reliables like Linda Motlhalo, Thembi Ngatlana, Jermaine Seoposenwe and new captain, Rafiloe Jane.
