Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has challenged her players to be more ruthless as they build towards the World Cup later this year.
And the South Africa women’s football team will get their first chance to show their honed killer instinct this week when they host the Netherlands and Sweden in the Mother City.
Ellis’ team have been on the up in the last year, winning the Cosafa Cup and finishing runners-up at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon).
That improvement saw Ellis named CAF Women’s Coach of the Year this month and star striker Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana crowned Women’s Player of the Year.
The boss says her team played to their strengths at Awcon in Ghana over November and December.
STRENGTHS: South Africa mentor Desiree Ellis. Photo: SYDNEY MAHLANGU/BACKPAGEPIX
And now Ellis wants the team to show how far they have come against European competition when they take on the Dutch on Saturday (3 pm) and Sweden next Tuesday (7 pm).
The former Banyana captain says: “At Afcon, we were true to who we were. We knew we couldn’t compete physically with the Nigerians, Ghanaians, Equatorial Guinea.
“Putting the ball on the ground was a key for us. We kept playing our own way.
“I think that was important that we did not change because of the technical ability that we have.
“We saw in the match last year against Sweden that we might have lost 3-0, but the result was not a true reflection of the game.
YOUNGBLOOD: Forward Amanda Mthandi is 22. Photo: SYDNEY MAHLANGU/BACKPAGEPIX
“We could have scored on many occasions, and our finishing has improved a bit. It is one area that has to improve.
“We are a team that are always going to create chances, but we have to improve because at the World Cup, we might only get one chance.
“I think we have to play to our strengths. We are never going to be winning playing balls in the air, although we do have central defenders and midfielders who are really good in the air.
“We are now playing Netherlands and Sweden, who can play both ways, so it is a good test."