On Banyana Banyana's prospects in Group G
We are few days away from the (start of the) FIFA Women's World Cup and all the teams have had their warm-up games ahead of the tournament. Banyana Banyana beat Costa Rica 2-0 in an impressive warm-up game win. It was a very positive win and it will take the team to the start of the tournament with full confidence. The first match in Group G, which is up against Sweden, is going to be a really tough one because we are playing against a team that is ranked third in the world. They did exceptionally well at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where they finished as runners-up to Canada. It will be a difficult task. Obviously, there are some weaknesses in their team and some of our counter-attacking players, with Thembi Kgatlana, Jermaine Seoposenwe as well as Hildah Magaia going forward with that pace, speed, is something we can capitalise on.
This is where we can hurt them. But it will be a very tough encounter against Sweden, to be realistic about it, but beating them is not something that cannot be done. We can still get a positive result from the match if we play our cards correctly and have our tactics right. Then our next match, which will be played five days after the first one, will be against Argentina. They are a country that we have never faced before and we don't know much about them. A lot of people think that we have an upper hand against the Argentines. If you look at the overall group, it's going to be a really tough group with all three teams having different characteristics, with Argentina being a little bit more technical in their play. But they can be beatable and this is where we can maybe get some of our points from. Looking at our last group opponents Italy, they are a physical team, they don't give up easily. They are very aggressive in their duels. They won the last warm-up game where they beat co-hosts New Zealand 1-0. But overall, I think we do stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages if we get our tactics right because we are up against very good teams. But it's not impossible to get out of our group. Getting out of the group stage is something that we are all hoping Banyana Banyana will do – it's possible to do that. We have to showcase that we are African champions, it's our second consecutive FIFA World Cup. It's no more about adding numbers at the World Cup and being just a team that is there because we have qualified for the tournament. We have the status of being African champions, we need to go there and show that we are African champions and I'm looking forward to seeing our team get out of the group stage.
On Who The Toughest Team Of The Group Is
I see Sweden as the toughest opponent. They are a competitive team and if we can overcome them while we are still mentally and physically fit and ready, then I don't see why we can't beat the next two opponents, Argentina and Italy. A win in the first game will be a big boost for the team, and it is doable, but it will be very tough. Having played against them, I can tell you that they are well-structured and organised. They have played in numerous tournaments and on big occasions, they have a big pool of players that are so experienced. We will also be heading to the tournament with a lot of experience from the last tournament in France.
At the last tournament, we learnt that every minute counts in the game of football. If you remember our first match against Spain in the 2019 World Cup, we scored first through Thembi Kgatlana and led them until the 69th minute. With 20 minutes remaining, they came out really strong and scored three goals to beat us 3-1. All their three goals came so quick. A game can be decided in a matter of seconds when you play against tough and quality teams, and that is something that we need to learn from. We have to try and be focused and ready for each part of every game from the first 10 minutes of each half and the last 10 minutes of each half without giving up on our style of play. Regardless whether we are one goal down or not, we have to keep our style of play intact and not fall apart because we are trailing by a goal. These are things that we need to learn as players and we have a lot of experienced players.
On The Experience In The Banyana Camp
Fifi (Refiloe Jane) has played for AC Milan and Sassuolo in Italy against some of those players. She knows some of the Italy players and came up against them every week at club level. She can give our team some insights on how to play against them. Linda Motlhalo has played for Djurgarden in Sweden for more than two years or so. Hildah Magaia also played in Sweden for Morn BK and she knows a couple of their players and how they play. It will come down to our fitness and how well-organised and structured we are. We can't just go and press for 90 minutes and expect results. These kinds of teams we will be up against at the World Cup will really come out and capitalise on their chances. If they get one chance, they will capitalise on that. With South Africa, knowing that sometimes we miss one-versus-one opportunities with the goalkeeper, we can't afford to miss opportunities that are glaring to us in front of goals. That is something that is important. Going to the tournament as African champions is a motivational factor, but the weight is a bit heavy with the expectations. But looking at our team, we have set high standards for each other. If we are crowned African champions, we have to play like African champions. That is the message that will be carried across the rest of the team.
