Mosimane shrugs off injuries ahead of Sierra Leone clash
After a groin injury forced Everton midfield kingpin Steven Pienaar to withdraw from the squad at the weekend, team doctor Ephraim Nematswerani said yesterday that captain Aaron Mokoena and Andile Jali had also picked up knocks that will keep the medical team on their toes the whole week.
“Aaron has mild groin pains, while Andile received a mild contusion after the MTN8 final against Moroka Swallows at the weekend,” Nematswerani said.
“They will be monitored closely all week but I am sure that their injuries can be overcome.”
Mosimane said he would soldier on and dismissed any insinuations that there might be more to Pienaar’s injury than meets the eye.
“The doctor has spoken about the injury but we will manage,” Mosimane said. “I will not whine about Pienaar, even though I would have loved to have him in Freetown.
“He personally called to inform me about his injury on Saturday and that for me proves that he really wanted to be here.
“Steven has been a major part of this team for a while now and he will be missed. It is a challenge but it is okay. I think that we must get on with it and move on.”
Mosimane gave the strongest hint that the much-vilified Teko Modise would start as Pienaar’s replacement in Sierra Leone, in a strong show of support for the Orlando Pirates midfielder.
He said his plans for the encounter would not be affected by the decision of his Pirates counterpart, Rudi Krol , to omit Modise from the Bucs side that hoisted the MTN8 trophy after beating Moroka Swallows 4-2 on penalties in Durban at the weekend.
“It (Modise’s omission in the final) does not bother me. Just because one player misses one game does not mean I am going to panic. Bernard Parker did not play for FC Twente in Holland, but I can tell you right now that he is going to play against Sierra Leone on Sunday.”
Mokoena said he was impressed by the commitment and support that Mosimane keeps displaying towards the players since he took over the job from Carlos Alberto Parreira after the World Cup.
“It is really, really, really nice to have a coach who backs his players like the way the coach does.
“That is why I would play with injections in Sierra Leone if the coach asked me to.”
Mokoena will hope nothing prevents him from facing Sierra Leone after an injury ruled out the Bafana captain the last time the two nations faced each other in Freetown two years ago.
He did not train with the team all week in the run-up to that 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier and was forced to watch his colleagues from the sidelines after an injury to his left shin.
Mokoena failed a late fitness test but was asked by then Bafana Bafana coach Joel Natalino Santana to accompany the team to offer moral support in Freetown.
“I have been to Freetown before but as you know, I did not get to play against them.
“We are playing against a team that we are familiar with and I can tell you that it is a very big game.”
Mosimane said he hoped that his players would be able to withstand the expected pressure they face against a Sierra Leone side that should still have a confident swagger after managing to hold seven-time champions Egypt to a shock 1-1 draw in Cairo last month. No one saw the result coming, but the draw between Egypt and Sierra Leone left Bafana top of Group G.
“We need to go there with the belief and understanding of what we need to do there.
“We have to put them a little bit under pressure, even though we still have to practise a bit of caution.”
Parker and Tshepo Masilela were expected last night, while strongman Macbeth Sibaya is only due to arrive this morning.
Sierra Leone coach Christian Cole — who is in his fourth spell as national team coach — began his own training camp yesterday and also had to be content with players arriving in dribs and drabs.
AC Milan youngster Rodney Strasser — who is one of 15 foreign- based players in Sierra Leone’s squad — is expected to make his international debut against Bafana.
by - ntlokom@bdfm.co.za
