Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has praised Sipho Mbule’s outstanding performance against Zambia in their 3-1 win in the international friendly match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
Mbule had a stellar game, assisting Oswin Appollis and Mohau Nkota’s goals, and was awarded the Man of the Match award for his impressive display.
According to Broos, Mbule’s performance was a testament to his growth as a player.
“You know, four years ago when I made my first call-up, Mbule was there and immediately I saw what a good player he was,” Broos said.
“The only problem with Mbule was that after that, there were some things that were more important to him than football.
“I think he understands now that football is not only playing a game, then after the game you focus on other things, but you still have to play because you’re a football player, and I think he understands that now.”
Broos believes that Mbule has finally reached his potential and has emerged as a key player for the national team.
“So, he becomes a very important player for us,” he stated.
“I told him, ‘Look, it’s up to you now, you got your second chance, and there’s the AFCON and World Cup. It’s up to you if you want to go there with us, and I would like to see your performances.”
The Belgian mentor noted that Mbule’s creativity and skill on the pitch make him a vital component of the team.
“You see, whenever he has the ball, we can be dangerous on the ball, but we didn’t use him enough in the first half.”
Broos also drew parallels between Mbule and injured midfielder Themba Zwane, saying that having both players in the team would make Bafana Bafana even stronger.
“You see in our games, Sipho becomes a very important player for the national team, and the other side of the story is that maybe tomorrow there’s something that will happen to him, like we had a problem with Themba Zwane,” he added.
“So, for now I think we’ve found someone who can replace Themba, but I still hope that Themba plays some games at Sundowns and he will be at his level again, that we know.”
Broos expressed his desire to have both Mbule and Zwane feature in upcoming tournaments, including the AFCON and the World Cup. “I think we can become much stronger with two guys like Sipho and Themba, and again, I really hope now in the AFCON we can have both of them, or in the World Cup next year, and we will be much stronger.”
As the team prepares to head to Morocco for the AFCON, Broos will be keen to see Mbule maintain his form and Zwane recover from his injury in time to join the team.
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