Golden Arrows assistant coach Kagisho Dikgacoi has leaped to the defence of Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole after his nightmare FIFA World Cup debut against Mexico, while pinpointing one specific aspect of his game that the midfielder must urgently address.
South Africa had an unpleasant start to the World Cup after suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday.
Co-hosts Mexico proved far too strong for Bafana Bafana, dominating proceedings from the first whistle. The home side capitalised on a flying start, opening the scoring in just the ninth minute after punishing a costly error from Sithole, who turned over possession on the edge of his own penalty box following a pass from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
As the match wore on, the central midfielder visibly struggled to cope with the frantic tempo, misplacing several passes and giving away cheap fouls. The KZN Football Academy graduate’s afternoon went from bad to worse in the second half when he received a red card, putting the final cap on one of his most disappointing performances in a Bafana jersey.
‘HE’S A GOOD ASSET’- KAGISHO DIKGACOI ON SPHEPHELO ‘YAYA’ SITHOLE
Following his performance that drew harsh criticism from social media, the former Bafana star who played in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Dikgacoi, says he’s confident that the CD Tondela man remains a big asset for Hugo Broos’ charges.
“In the previous games, he has done decently for Bafana, and he’s a good boy; he always wants to give his best for the country,” Dikgacoi told FARPost.
“It’s unfortunate that against Mexico he didn’t have a good game and he got a red card, but I still believe that he’s a good asset to South African football.
“So he just needs to improve his speed of action, and he will become a better player. It was unfortunate that we played against a team that had a solid plan around our midfield, particularly from our number 6. You could tell from the start that they are setting traps for our 6s, and unfortunately, he was the culprit with technical mistakes in the first goal.”
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