Polokwane - It felt like Thulani Serero had something to prove to South Africans when he ran out onto the artificial surface at the Stade Municipal in Point-Noire on Saturday.
Why this may be the case, boggles the mind.
Serero is one of South Africa’s best football exports to go overseas in the last five years, and is currently a regular starter in the Champions League and in the Dutch top flight for Ajax Amsterdam.
Maybe it’s because the former Ajax Cape Town star is considered to be too small to take on the midfield beasts on the African continent. Or maybe it’s because people think he doesn’t track back to defend.
Or maybe people feel Serero isn’t committed enough to the cause after he was sent home ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Botswana in Durban.
Well, in hostile conditions against Congo-Brazzaville, Serero made those reasons look rather silly when he ran his socks off up and down the synthetic pitch. He also wasn’t bullied off the ball. But it was to be expected.
The Dutch league is very technical, and not all the players are dwarfs.
The fact is, Serero is good and intelligent enough to adapt to any sort of situation on the field. Sure, he has improved his defensive aptitude and his ability to track back and cover his full backs. But he also showed that he can turn defence into attack with blistering pace or a well-weighted pass.
Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba raved about Serero’s ability to connect with his other attacking players, and the way he worked on defence in his game plan.
However, Mashaba wants Serero to take a bit more responsibility in and around the penalty area and have a bit of a crack or run at defenders. For now, though, “Cream” is just happy to be back in the national fold after missing the first 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last month.
“I always enjoy playing for the national team,” Serero said on Monday after the team’s training ahead of Wednesday night’s clash against Congo here at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
“I’m a team player and I tried to play according to the team and what the coach wants. Everything that I do, I want to do it to the best of my ability for the team.
“My work-rate was a problem before when I got to (Ajax Amsterdam). But I have worked on it, and now I feel I can do both. I can attack and defend.”
He certainly can attack, and the Johannesburg-born player will be looking forward to playing on the superb Peter Mokaba Stadium surface after the nightmarish astro-turf in the Congolese coastal town.
Serero showed glimpses of his attacking ability with a few bursts of pace, as well as a couple of passes to his teammates, although the surface wasn’t quite conducive to a free-flowing affair.
Congo didn’t look that flash on Saturday, with a late flurry towards the end of the match their only real highlight.
However, Serero, who plays back-to-back mat-ches against the same teams in the Champions League, thinks that the Red Devils will be a different outfit on Wednesday night.
“We played the first game and now they know how we play. It’s going to be tougher for us in the second game, because they can prepare properly for us,” Serero said.
“They already know what type of play we are going to come with. They want to get some revenge as well.”
But Bafana can still book their place for January’s Afcon in Morocco with a win over the Congo after Sudan shocked Nigeria. That, however, doesn’t mean they are going to relax.
“The coach made it clear that nothing is finished. We are taking it one game at a time. The group is only finished after the last game. We can’t think of Morocco just yet,” Serero added.
Meanwhile, the Bafana players who didn’t feature against Congo on Saturday played a friendly against Polokwane City last night to get a few minutes under their belt.
The things the players have done right
Bafana Bafana are on the verge of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco following their unbeaten start in their first three group matches. Two wins and a draw has put them in a great position to wrap up Group A with a win over Congo at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday. Caf uses a head-to-head rule for the qualifiers if teams are tied on points at the end of the qualifiers.
The Star looks at look at five reasons for Bafana’s change in fortunes under coach Shakes Mashaba.
1. Defensive Organisation
Three clean sheets show that Bafana are keeping their shape and the players understand what the coach wants from them on the field. If somebody is being dragged out of position, there is always a player getting back to cover. Everybody is working hard in the system and trust their |teammates to |execute their roles properly. |Captain Senzo Meyiwa has also been sensational in goal.
2. Explosive Bench
Suddenly the national team seems to possess a plethora of attacking talent. The Bafana substitutes made a massive impact in all three qualifiers, as they have injected pace, urgency and goals, or came on to close out the match. A good bench makes a huge difference in difficult conditions.
3. Midfield Partners
Dean Furman and Andile Jali have become the heartbeat of this Bafana side, and they get the other parts of the national team’s body to function properly.
Their anticipation makes it easy for them to shut down attacks, while they have been playing a key part in Bafana’s improved transitional and |counter-attacking play.
4. A New Attitude
In the past, a lot of Bafana teams have crumbled under the |pressure when things get tough in a foreign country. This Bafana team, though, seems to be |enjoying the challenge of playing on the continent. Their best performances have come on the road, with the team scoring five goals in two outings away against Sudan and Congo.
5. Creating Chances
Bafana are playing with plenty of pace and intent going forward, and sometimes they attack with five players - one on the ball, the two wingers and the two strikers - in the final third of the pitch. They still lack a bit of accuracy, but at least are getting people into the penalty area to try and get the ball into the back of the net.
The Star