SIHLANGU DRAW TOUGH – ‘KOKI’

MBABANE – “Chances are not 50/50; we must work very hard to make an impact.”

These were the words of local soccer expert and Manzini Wanderers head coach Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati in reaction to the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) draw on Thursday.

The national team are in the same group as Africa Cup of Nations-bound Angola, Mauritius and the Comoros Islands.
Vilakati, who is currently the most successful coach in Eswatini at team level after winning over 10 trophies with Mbabane Swallows, minced no words that it was a tough group for the Kostadin Papic-led side.

“We need to work extra hard if we want to improve and it should not be a one-man show if we want positive results.
“Looking at the other countries, they are improving their game,” he said.

Vilakati said there were people who had been with the national team for a while and needed to play a critical role in as far as preparations for the COSAFA Cup were concerned in addition to employing tactical strategy.

“Judging from the national team’s last game, I saw that building a team takes time and the COSAFA Cup is a knockout tournament, making it very tough. This I will not hide; I will rather stand alone but I won’t lie,” he said.
draw
Sihlangu played to a goalless draw against Malawi in the first leg of the 2020 African Nations Championships (Chan) Qualifier at Mavuso Sports Centre last month. Meanwhile, Vovovo head coach Gcina ‘Magiyane’ Dlamini shared a slightly different opinion, saying the draw was fair.
“It is just that the new coach must be given enough time because that has been where the problem emanated,” he said.
Dlamini said otherwise there was no threat for Sihlangu in the COSAFA group.
“If that could be arranged for the coach to have enough time with the team, the boys will be technically okay,” he said.
Former Sihlangu caretaker coach Anthony Mdluli politely asked not to comment on matters pertaining to the national team.

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