Desiree Ellis schemes to get Banyana in World Cup shape

Valuable lessons from the past Women’s Fifa World Cup put Banyana Banyana in good stead in their bid to go past the group stages of July’s showpiece.

Desiree Ellis led a naive SA in their maiden appearance at the tournament in 2019, and they returned home from France early after losing all three Group B matches.

This added to Banyana’s disappointing winless run on the world stage, as they also have never won a match at the Olympic Games. But now they know better and are experienced, as they put final touches on preparations ahead of the 2023 World Cup edition in New Zealand and Australia from July 20 to August 20.

Ellis’ team will be up against Sweden, Italy and Argentina in Group G and a top two finish will guarantee a place in the knockouts.

Banyana may be African champions but their heavy defeats when they had to step up against crack teams from outside the continent in 2022 — 3-0 and 6-0 losses to Brazil and 4-1 against Australia — indicate that unless Ellis can get her team to punch above their weight, it might be close to a mission impossible progressing past such a tough group.

Thorough analysis of their opponents and selecting the right players to ensure versatility and depth in the squad will be crucial, said Ellis, who announced a 36-strong preliminary squad last week. Getting the team’s positioning without the ball working a lot better will be important.

Versatility in the squad was how SA were able to deal with Thembi Kgatlane’s injury blow and multiple Covid-19 cases en route to winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title in Morocco in 2022, bravely beating the hosts 2-1 in front of a hostile home crowd in the final in Rabat.

“If you look at 2018 [when Banyana lost in the Wafcon final on penalties], 2019 and 2022, we learnt a few lessons in the way we needed to have more depth,” Ellis said.

“Remember Refiloe Jane having to leave before the [2018] final and Leandra [Smeda] not being 100% fit, and having to play Bambanani [Mbane] in the defensive midfield role because we needed a bit of strength there.

“Our first penalty-taker, Leandra, was not available and the second, Refiloe, was not available and Bambanani was cramping in extra time and not available.

“That was why when we selected the 2022 squad we looked for more depth and a lot more versatility.

“If you look at the last World Cup too, Nothando Vilakazi was sent off, Leandra got injured and we eventually had to play Sibulele Holweni, who we knew at the time was quite versatile. So, we are looking for those types of players that will fit in the way we want to play. We’ve been working on a certain strategy.”

Against Sweden, Italy and to some extent Argentina, Banyana are not likely to enjoy a lot of time on the ball. Ellis said she has prepared a plan to overcome that challenge.

“We know we are good with the ball, and we also have to be better without the ball.

“We’ve been working on certain things, and we will select the players that will complement our style. We are honest, there are so many good players out there but, unfortunately, we can’t select everyone.”

Technical team

To ensure they get the right players Ellis and her technical team have upped the ante monitoring all the South Africans playing abroad, including Kgatlane, who plays for Racing Louisville in the US and who recently returned from the long-term injury sustained in July in 2022 when she ruptured her Achilles tendon.

“Thembi’s progress has been fantastic. She has been getting game time building up after starting with a few minutes, which is great for us,” Ellis said. “They’ve done a fantastic job in taking good care of her and managing her and making sure that she is ready to play for them.

“I’ve been in contact with Thembi directly, she is in a good space, and they are really doing well as a club. I’ve watched one or two of her games, and she is really looking exciting. It’s like having a new signing.”