Mosimane explains Ndlovu call-up for South Africa’s Kenya qualifiers

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says Siyanda ‘Skwishi’ Ndlovu’s omission from the preliminary squad did not prevent him from selecting the Mamelodi Sundowns attacker for South Africa’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya.

South Africa face Kenya at Orlando Amstel Arena on 13 November before travelling to the East African country for the return match on 17 November.

Mosimane’s side top qualifying Group D with six points from two matches. Kenya’s Harambee Stars, who have already qualified as one of the tournament’s co-hosts, are third with one point from two games.

Ndlovu, 23, has made an impressive start at Sundowns since joining the club at the beginning of the season. He has played 15 matches in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Explaining his decision, Mosimane said the preliminary squad should not restrict his technical team when choosing the final selection.

“The most important thing is to know that we should not be the slaves or be held by a preliminary squad,” Mosimane told SABC TV.

“Remember [Tshepang] Moremi was not in the preliminary squad, but he played against Egypt. So the preliminary squad is a squad we name because of many, many, many reasons.

“First, we acknowledge that we are saying, ‘We are watching you’. We acknowledge what your contribution is, especially when we see Man of the Match performances. I think three times in a row, four times in a row for Ndlovu.

“You cannot ignore that. And we need to encourage. We are not calling him to say, ‘You are going to play’. We are saying you are part of the team.”

Mosimane said Ndlovu’s inclusion formed part of a wider plan to develop a group of players capable of contributing to South Africa’s ambitions through 2030.

“We are building a team. We are building a pool of players that we have a vision for. We have a vision for 2030,” he said.

“I hope we get to the World Cup. That’s the vision we have. But we need to behave according to the vision. We need to have AFCON finals. We are in the qualifiers and you have to win.

“You know the route to get there, but you do not want to arrive and then say, for example, Thapelo Maseko is injured, so what are we going to do?

“We are building that. Teams build systems in case one player is injured or you want to see another player. Sometimes you call players just to be part of the team and gain experience.

“So when you come, you are not saying, ‘What is happening here? What is new?’ You might not be part of the Kenya home and away matches, but you have to know what we do.”

Mosimane wants more analysts

Mosimane also said the limited time available with players during international camps meant he needed greater analytical support.

The coaching staff review matches, training sessions and tactical corrections, including South Africa’s game against Egypt. He said work had already been done after the Eritrea match, but the Egypt review was still outstanding.

“We have match analysis. We have corrections. We watch our training sessions,” he said. “It is a lot of work, and that’s why I would say maybe I need to double my analysts.”

Mosimane added that Musi Matlaba needed more assistance and praised the four analysts who worked with Hugo Broos during the World Cup.

“They contribute. So hopefully I’ll get the same,” he said.