Desiree Ellis demands sharper build-up play from South Africa in Olympic qualifiers

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has challenged her players to sharpen their finishing and improve their build-up play after South Africa booked their place in the third round of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifiers with a 7-0 aggregate victory over Madagascar.

Despite the convincing result in Bloemfontein, Ellis believes the reigning African champions must address shortcomings in possession and become more clinical in the final third if they are to maintain their progress in the competition.

South Africa demonstrated their attacking strength across the tie, but their coach insists there is still room for improvement as they prepare for the next stage of the qualifying campaign.

Ellis demands greater precision in attack

Ellis was pleased with the outcome but pointed to missed opportunities and the need to use the width of the pitch more effectively.

The coach believes Banyana Banyana can create numerous scoring opportunities but must improve their conversion rate to secure results more consistently.

“Look, we made about six chances, a little bit of rhythm. We created a few chances in the first half, and spoke about it in the dressing room that sometimes we need to use our flanks,” Ellis said.

She also praised Ronnel for maintaining her attacking hunger after scoring three goals, highlighting the confidence players gain when they find the net.

“A minute Nox, we created those openings and Ronnel after scoring three goals she was hungry again. It shows the confidence it gives you once you start scoring goals, I think we played very well.”

While welcoming qualification for the next round, Ellis stressed that her side cannot afford to become complacent following their commanding aggregate victory.

“I am happy for the results, into the next round but there is still work to be done, a few things we need to work on. We need to continue to work on our build ups, our final third because we know we are a team that can create a lot of goals, once we start being clinical we get more results,” she added.

Patience and quicker passing key to progress

The 62-year-old tactician also identified impatience in possession as an area requiring attention, explaining that her players sometimes rushed their decisions instead of exploiting openings in Madagascar’s defence.

Ellis believes quicker ball circulation and better movement would help Banyana Banyana capitalise on the spaces they create, particularly when opponents retreat into defensive positions.

“Not at all, we were on a ball a lot, just that we were not patient enough, we were rushing things a lot. We needed to move quicker, when gaps opened up we needed to rotate the ball quicker,” she said.

The coach pointed to opportunities missed by Thembi and Gabby as examples of chances that could have changed the contest earlier.

“Thembi had a chance, Gabby had a chance as well, and we went into the dressing room to encourage the team to get onto the ball more. Once the first got in, there was always going to be a second and third coming in,” Ellis added.

Her assessment suggests that, beyond their ability to dominate opponents, the South Africans must improve their composure and decision-making when attacking opportunities arise.

National team door remains open

Beyond the Olympic qualifiers, Ellis is also considering how to strengthen her squad ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup intercontinental playoffs.

The coach reiterated that players outside the current group can still earn call-ups, provided they demonstrate consistent form and continue working hard.

With several important fixtures approaching, Ellis is keen to maintain a balance between emerging talent and experienced campaigners.

“I think there’s such great talent out there. And there’s a lot of players we can choose from to add onto the squad, unfortunately we are limited to a specific number when we choose the squad,” she said.

Ellis emphasised that selection opportunities remain available to deserving players, although consistency will be crucial as the technical team assesses its options.

“We never close the to deserving players, just need to remain consistent and show their form because we still have some big games coming up. We still need that balance between youth and experience,” she said.