Themba [Zwane] advised me to stay focused - Says Siyabonga Mabena.

Themba Zwane is a model professional footballer, a player youngsters can look up to for inspiration, and that is exactly what Siyabonga Mabena is doing.

The Mamelodi Sundowns youngster says he has been looking up to Zwane since his days with the School of Excellence.

Now that Mabena is sharing the same dressing room as his hero, things have become even better, as he is able to get valuable advice from his hero.

"Themba advised me to stay focused and not pay attention to negative things that people may say about me, he said I must only focus on my career," he said as quoted by SABC Sport. https://www.sabcsport.com/soccer/news/sa-u17-starlet-siyabonga-mabena-inspired-by-themba-zwane

"Themba Zwane is a player that I looked up to even when I was still at School of Excellence. Sharing the same changing room with him pushes me to work hard knowing that one day I may achieve what he has already achieved in football."

ALSO READ: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/04/this-has-been-our-disease-zwane-on.html?m=1

Mabena, who is currently with the national U17 side for the Under Afcon, where he hopes to catch the eyes of overseas scouts, is not the only Sundowns youngster who has declared Themba Zwane as their role model.

Red hot forward, Cassius Mailula, who is amongst the best young footballers in South Africa, is also one of Mshishi's biggest admires. 

It's his job! - says Mokwena about Williams brilliant performances.

Mamelodi Sundowns beat Richards Bay FC 1-0 in a Dstv premiership match played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

Goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams was once again amongst Sundowns top performers in the game, pulling off some match winning saves to keep yet another clean sheet.

Williams has been outstanding for Sundowns this season, not only with keeping clean sheets, but performing the role of the modern goalkeeper with excellence, initiating build ups in possession, and acting as a sweeper off possession.

The national team captain has raised his hand for the player of the season award.

But his coach, Rulani Mokwena, insists that Williams is just doing his job.

"Yeah but it’s his job, that’s why we have a goalkeeper, organisational forms of teams start with the number one of the team sheet and that’s a goalkeeper,"Mokwena said as quoted by iDiski Times. https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/featured/mokwena-there-shouldnt-be-much-talk-over-footballer-of-the-season/

Just like Williams, Tebogo Mokwena has been brilliant for Sundowns in midfield, working hard off possession and instrumental in the team's build up play.

Mokwena believes he also deserves a special mention when it comes to conversations about the player of the season award.

ALSO READ: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/04/top-coach-riveiro-is-but-he-would-make.html?m=1

"He’s been magnificent, I’m really not even sure why there are lots of discussions of Footballer of the Season and this – he puts his name up, Tebza has [also] been consistent and outstanding but so was the entire team today with fight and hunger."

Why South Africa is no longer relevant in world football - Rob Moore.

Super football agent, Rob Moore, who represents Njabulo Blom amongst other plays, says South Africa is no longer producing gee whiz (highly skilled) footballers anymore.

"Where are those 'Gee Whiz' players, they aren't around anymore, they haven't recruited them," Moore told This Is Football Africa's Peter Du Toit. https://youtu.be/S6L67C51Sws

"If I look particularly close at Chiefs in the first six months of the season, because obviously I was following them with Njabulo Blom playing there, I looked at their recruitment and what they had brought in, there wasn't one gee whiz out of those guys that had come in.

"I just think that's been lost a little bit. But looking at a bigger picture, how many of South African players are gee whiz nowadays?

ALSO READ: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/04/mokwena-reveals-privilege-enjoyed-by.html?m=1

Moore says South Africa's failure to produce top players, and not qualifying for international tournaments like the world cup, has rendered the country irrelevant in the eyes of Europe.

"We have fallen a little bit off an edge, off a cliff in the eyes of Europe. We are not a factor in Europe anymore, and that's because we don't qualify for the world cup, we have rarely qualified for AFCON, though we have done now," he said.

"And if you are not relevant at these international tournaments, you are not relevant in world football anymore, it is as simple as that.

"That's a pity because Pirates and Chiefs are not able to recruit gee whiz, because there are not many gee whiz out there anymore."

If home was a football club, it would be AmaZulu FC for Manqoba Mngqithi.

Image: Mamelodi Sundowns Social Media. 

The Folz hopes raised by Romain's appointment at AmaZulu earlier in the season have turned into nothing but a pipe dream.

The 32-year-old French tactician was recently relieved of his head coaching duties at Usuthu, redeployed as a technical advisor, with former striker, and Folz's assistant, appointed as the club's interim coach until the end of the season.

With Folz out of the picture, sort of,  and Usuthu probably looking for a suitable replacement, there is a coach who might just be what the doctor ordered for the KZN side, and that is non other than Mamelodi Sundowns third assistant, Manqoba Mngithi.

Mngqithi's contract with Downs will be over in May, meaning the experienced mentor might be open to a new challenge.

Having spent most of his time at the Brazilians under the shadow of Pitso Mosimane, and currently under Rulani Mokwena, Mngqithi might relish an opportunity to finally stand on his own two feet once again.

But what would be the pros and cons of Mngqithi joining Usuthu?

The pros...

Besides the obvious fact as stated above, that of Mngqithi getting an opportunity to blaze his own trail at Usuthu, there is more to the possible union.

Sandile Zungu has proven beyond any reasonable doubt his ambition to take Usuthu to the dizzying heights of South African football.

With Mngqithi's years of experience and knowledge of the game, Zungu's ambitions would have more chances to see the light of day than not.

Having spent years at Sundowns, a team that has been dominant in the local game, Mngqithi has learned enough to help realize Zungu's vision for AmaZulu.

On top of the above mentioned, Mngqithi is a proponent of good football, something that can help in turning the pride of KZN into an attractive side to watch, bringing more fans to the stadium.

Lastly, the experienced mentor is known to be some kind of a strict disciplinarian.

With rumors of Folz losing the dressing room, which ultimately led to his redeployment, Mngqithi is the man who can get the Usuthu house back in order, without much of a hassle.

Also Read: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/04/what-mamelodi-sundowns-can-expect-from.html?m=1

And the cons....

Sundowns are a dream to be part of at the moment for any coach, even as an assistant.

With the trail blazing club flexing their muscle both locally and the continent, Mngqithi might be tempted to stay on and continue to be part of the history making Brazilians.

Job security and a positive working environment are hard to come by in the world of football, and that is exactly what Mngqithi has at Downs.

Leaving for AmaZulu might come with obvious risks involved with joining a new club, like things not working out and the former teacher finding himself in the growing pool of unemployed coaches.

Is he willing to take that risk? Only the end of May will tell. But Mngqithi and AmaZulu do look like a match made in a football heaven.