Head coach of the South African u20 Men’s National Team, Thabo Senong, says he is impressed by the performance of his players ahead of their internatinoal friendly match against Kenya.
Head coach of the South African u20 Men’s National Team, Thabo Senong, says he is impressed by the performance of his players ahead of their internatinoal friendly match against Kenya.
The two nations meet on Saturday, 26 November 2016 at the Tsakanae Stadium in Brakpan.
Due to unforseen circumstances, kickoff has been moved from 15h00 to 16h00.
Amajita have been in camp since Sunday, 20 November.
They beat ABC Motsepe League side Baberwa FC of Gauteng 2-1 in a practice match played on Thursday, 24 November.
Luther Singh, who is on the books of Swedish side Gaes, scored both goals, and the result has impressed Senong, but he also has concerns.
“It’s always good to get a win when you play such games so that you go into the real match high on confidence. It was a good exercise but I am not happy with the goal we conceded and we will have to work on the structure of the team and their behaviour when we defend,” said Senong.
He added that the clash against Kenya was ideal for his preparations ahead of the 2016 COSAFA u20 Cup, which will be played in Rustenburg from 7 – 12 December.
“The boys we have selected don’t have international experience and the Kenya match will surely help in that regard. We will also be able to identify the weaknesses in the team so we can start working on them after that international friendly,” added Senong.
“We are also glad we are playing Kenya because they are a very solid side. We have seen some of their videos, including the recent clash where they faced Sudan. They are physically superior, tactically very aware and are one of the best sides in the CECAFA region and that is why we chose them. They will give us the needed challenge because they have matured players and that means a good test for our boys. But I think we are ready for Kenya.”
The South Africans will continue with camp after the clash, but will move their COSAFA u20 Cup preparations to Rustenburg on Monday, 28 November.
Before their departure, Senong says they will release about 10 players from the current squad, as they will be welcoming back some of the players who were excluded from the Kenya match due to exams and playing in the MDC Challenge League.
They will have 23 players in camp but will have to trim it down to the required 20 for the tournament.
** CECAFA stands for the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations and is made up of teams in East and Central Africa – Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar) **