Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos gives blunt reasoning for Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa’s omission
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has given a swift explanation for the omission of Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa.
Mabasa was called up to the previous Bafana Bafana squad by Hugo Broos as reward for his form at Pirates.
Broos has dropped Mabasa from Bafana Bafana squad
Broos has now decided to drop the Pirates man, a decision many may feel was a rather straightforward one, owing to how things panned out for Mabasa the last time he wore the Bafana Bafana jersey. Mabasa was substituted during the first half of the away leg of the back-to-back qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup.
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Not one to mince his words, Broos admitted soon after that he gave Mabasa the hook for tactical reasons, and that the player was not injured or anything. In giving his reasons for not selecting the 25 year-old the Belgian mentor again reiterated his stance on the player, which stems from that game in Addis Ababa.
Highlights where the decision stems from
“It was a little disappointing for him (Mabasa) that I changed him after 30 to 35 minutes in Ethiopia, but he was not in the game,” Broos said on SABC Sport during the squad announcement. “And I talked to him after the game and said ‘what is a problem’, he said ‘I didn’t feel good’. So when. I think he was too emotional, I think he was still nervous.” He continued.
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Broos also then highlighted that, had Mabasa redeemed himself with his Pirates form, his fortunes may have been different, but unfortunately he was playing like a man still affected by the Ethiopian incident.
Why it could be going wrong
“He wanted to prove how good he was, and you are too nervous and too focused on the game. And then It cuts your legs, and you saw it. He was there but he wasn’t there.So I had to do it and because of that, maybe now he didn’t have the confidence anymore. When I see him playing last game in his team, I saw it in the last game he had two good opportunities to score, normally it’s a goal or one or two certainly, now he missed more.” Said Broos
A worrying assessment of his current status
Broos then also gave a worrying assessment of Mabasa’s current situation, which should be one of grave concern to the player.
“I think for the moment he is struggling with his confidence, he doesn’t have the confidence, and you see also in his way of playing he is not anymore the striker that I selected before Ethiopia because I think it was the type of player we should need in Ethiopia.He is not that player anymore for the moment. So I think it’s a matter of confidence and I hope that he will find this confidence as soon as possible.” He concluded.
Bafana Bafana will host Zimbabwe at FNB Stadium on Thursday, 11, before heading to Ghana three days later this month.
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