Mamelodi Sundowns boast a staggering 10 players representing Bafana Bafana at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast. While this numerical dominance might suggest national success, former Downs defender Thabo Nthethe warns against expecting a replica of the club's dominance on the international stage.
In an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma, Nthethe delves into the system mismatch between club and country.
"They can have most of Sundowns' players in the squad but the system and combinations are different. Right away from the defence to midfield and striking force," explains Nthethe to the Siya crew.
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Nthethe highlights examples to illustrate his point.
"For example Themba Zwane is used to playing with Peter Shalulile and in the national team it's not the same. Then in defence (Mothobi) Mvala mainly plays with Grant Kekana and now he has to be paired with Siyanda Xulu. You see it's a lot of changes from the system that works at Sundowns to work at the national team," Nthethe said.
Though, Kekana was given a chance and actually replaced Xulu for Bafana thereafter and their partnership is proving to be a success due to their understanding at Sundowns. However, Nthethe acknowledges the silver lining for Sundowns.
"As much as this may not work for the national team but its an advantage for Sundowns as their players are active during this Afcon break as most of them are playing for the national team and even one for Namibia (Peter Shalulile). When they come back they will be match fit compared to most of the teams which didn't have players in the national team at Afcon. That's an advantage to Sundowns," Nthethe concluded.Nthethe's insights raise intriguing questions. Can Bafana overcome the system clash, as they are doing with Kekana and find their own rhythm with their Sundowns contingent? Will Sundowns, fueled by their Afcon-active stars, dominate the league even further upon their return? Only time will tell how this unique situation unfolds.
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