IN MY OWN WORDS: My thoughts for the week

With the Premier Soccer League in recess due to the World Cup qualifiers, could this be the period that could make or break teams?

This could be the time when the momentum or continuity of teams might be affected because of not kicking a ball for a week. Of the top 3 teams, Chiefs & Sundowns seem to be getting back to their best. Their players respectively seem to be gelling & playing for one another. They are adapting to coaches methods & it seems to be yielding results. Will they continue their winning ways when the league resumes or will they start all over again?

Pirates on the other hand seem to be taking their feet off the pedal with draws. Ever since 19 year old midfield kingpin, Andile Jali left with the under-20 South African squad for the World Cup in Egypt where they were unfortunately knocked by their African counterparts, Ghana.(On Ghana, football lovers need to watch Abedi Pele’s son Ayew.In my opinion, he is the 1st player ever to rightfully take the heir to a father’s throne).Andile Jali is a marvel to watch in the Buccaneers midfield assisted by Benson Mhlongo.Teko Modise seems to have lost his magic a bit which usually influences the game for Orlando Pirates. Some supporters say this is a case of déjà’ vue for the team. They always seem to dominate but struggle to maintain their form long enough to win the League championship. Time will tell.........

The MTN 8 Wafa Wafa final which pits Golden Arrows against Ajax Cape Town is in about 2 weeks. With the sudden resignation of Muhsin Ertugral will the Urban Warriors be firing on all cylinders? Their recent league game against Chiefs on Sunday at Newlands Stadium was a one-sided affair with the Amakhosi netting in 3 goals. Chiefs were the more determined side dominating in every area of the park from the back, middle & right to the front. Has the fact that they had 5 players in the under-20 World Cup contributed to their poor performances of late? They now have to find a new coach who will hopefully make the team gel in time for the final of the MTN 8.The soccer pages FBI will be watching.

Lastly, Bafana Bafana Coach Joel Santana will come under scrutiny should the team fail to win against Norway & Iceland. In my opinion, should the team fail to win, Santana will surely lose is job.

Ever since Kirsten Nematandani was elected president of SAFA 2 weeks ago, the pressure has been piling.I believe in the saying, ‘new broom sweeps clean’. Unlike his predecessor Molefi Oliphant, Nematandani pulls no punches when it comes to the national team. He does not show any leniency for mediocrity which bodes well for the team.  Let’s hope that with the acquisition of 3 ‘babysitters’, former Bafana coaches, Clive Barker & Jomo Sono & Supersport United coach Gavin Hunt as advisors, things will change. They will be assessing the coach over the next week.

For those that are calling for Benni McCarthy to be included in the team, please note that the player has been out of favour, out of form, and is now out with injury.

Of all the teams playing this weekend the qualifiers are not more important than for Argentina, Portugal & France. They are in danger of not qualifying for the 2010 showpiece in South Africa. A World Cup would not be a World Cup without these 3 sides. Let’s hope & pray that they make it to Africa’s first World cup.

Saturday 10 Oct 2009 – Portugal vs Hungary, France vs Faroe Islands

Sunday 11 Oct 2009 – Argentina vs Peru

By Asanda 'BROWN' Vumazonke