National Under-23 Coach David Notoane has said that he is pleased with how things are going so far with the camp called for locally-based players in Durban.
Notoane called up 24 players for this camp, and he says that having got all the logistics out of the way, they can now try and implement some of the tactical plans, and have a good look at the players.
The team will also play a practice match against Golden Arrows.
With the Olympic Games postponed from last year to later this year, and with only an 18 man squad allowed, Notoane is looking for players who can function in multiple systems.
“Ja, look, I think first things first, it’s good that we are able to come together,” Notoane told SAFA media.
“Everyone is here now, you know, we dealt with the COVID issues, which are very, very important to ensure that we minimize the risk of an outbreak inside the camp.”
“So now, in terms of the training again, already players are at a good level, a lot of them coming off their teams playing regularly you can see, and the ones that are not playing regularly, actually, you can also see that they lack game rhythm.”
“But from a tactical perspective, we are also testing the players adaptability to new challenges, some are used to play a certain way in their clubs. So in this camp, we looking to take out a lot of tactical data that will inform who can function in multiple systems or formations of play, because that’s going to be very, very important towards our selection of the final 18 players for the Olympic Games.”
“So I think today we had a very good first good technical session, which gives us an idea of the permetations going into the practice match against Golden Arrows. And we are happy that the group is looking sharp, and some are already adapting well to the challenges that we are putting them especially from a defensive perspective.”