Bafana captain Williams pleased Zwane is back with national team
Skipper says his Sundowns teammate has achieved much and to see him going strong shows his quality and mentality
20 September 2022 - 17:31
byMahlatse Mphahlele
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Ronwen Williams during the DStv Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United at FNB Stadium on April 16 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is excited to see Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Themba Zwane back with the senior national team for the international friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana.
Bafana play Sierra Leone on Saturday and Botswana on Tuesday‚ both at FNB Stadium‚ where coach Hugo Broos will have a look at a number of new players he has called up.
“It is wonderful to see him [Zwane] as part of the set-up again‚” Williams said of the influential Sundowns creative midfielder.
“He has achieved so much in the game‚ and to see him still going strong after everything he has achieved shows the quality and mentality he’s got.
“Guys will learn a lot from him because he has played at the highest level. We played together at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and there is a lot of history between us,” Williams said.
“Now we are playing for the same club‚ which is nice. Honestly, he has been one of the best players in the Premier Soccer League for the longest time.”
Broos’s senior combination has lost three games — 1-0 away against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers‚ 5-0 in a friendly against world champions France in Lille, and 2-1 away against Morocco in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier — of their past four games. The other was a 0-0 friendly draw with Guinea in Brussels.
Questions have been asked about the quality of 113th-ranked Sierra Leone and 146th-ranked Botswana as opponents‚ but Williams said there are no easy games on the African continent.
“These two games are not going to be easy‚ and playing at home we need to stamp our authority‚ play our football and dominate them.
“We are coming off four results that were not good‚ including Guinea‚ where I feel we should have won because we created a lot of chances. We had three defeats along the way and there is a bit of a negative feel.
“But in saying this‚ this is still a new team and most of the guys don’t even have more than five caps. But it is time we qualified for these major tournaments like the Cup of Nations.”
Williams said senior players will have to make sure the new faces in the squad feel at home.
“It is good for the new players‚ it is good the coach is giving them the opportunity. We have a few injuries to the more permanent players who were here before‚ and it is an opportunity for these guys to take.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Bafana captain Williams pleased Zwane is back with national team
Skipper says his Sundowns teammate has achieved much and to see him going strong shows his quality and mentality
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is excited to see Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Themba Zwane back with the senior national team for the international friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana.
Bafana play Sierra Leone on Saturday and Botswana on Tuesday‚ both at FNB Stadium‚ where coach Hugo Broos will have a look at a number of new players he has called up.
“It is wonderful to see him [Zwane] as part of the set-up again‚” Williams said of the influential Sundowns creative midfielder.
“He has achieved so much in the game‚ and to see him still going strong after everything he has achieved shows the quality and mentality he’s got.
“Guys will learn a lot from him because he has played at the highest level. We played together at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and there is a lot of history between us,” Williams said.
“Now we are playing for the same club‚ which is nice. Honestly, he has been one of the best players in the Premier Soccer League for the longest time.”
Broos’s senior combination has lost three games — 1-0 away against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers‚ 5-0 in a friendly against world champions France in Lille, and 2-1 away against Morocco in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier — of their past four games. The other was a 0-0 friendly draw with Guinea in Brussels.
Questions have been asked about the quality of 113th-ranked Sierra Leone and 146th-ranked Botswana as opponents‚ but Williams said there are no easy games on the African continent.
“These two games are not going to be easy‚ and playing at home we need to stamp our authority‚ play our football and dominate them.
“We are coming off four results that were not good‚ including Guinea‚ where I feel we should have won because we created a lot of chances. We had three defeats along the way and there is a bit of a negative feel.
“But in saying this‚ this is still a new team and most of the guys don’t even have more than five caps. But it is time we qualified for these major tournaments like the Cup of Nations.”
Williams said senior players will have to make sure the new faces in the squad feel at home.
“It is good for the new players‚ it is good the coach is giving them the opportunity. We have a few injuries to the more permanent players who were here before‚ and it is an opportunity for these guys to take.”
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