Amajita coach happy with progress despite Pirates loss
The coach of the SA Under-20 men’s team admits there is still a lot of work to be done to get the team ready for the Fifa World Cup.
Amajita in action against Orlando Pirates at Rand Stadium on Sunday.
This comes after Amajita went down 1-0 to Orlando Pirates in a practice match on Sunday.
The clash is part of preparations for the upcoming 2017 Fifa Under-20 World Cup, which takes place in South Korea from May 20 to June 11.
“Experience will always outplay the youth, but these are the games we need to test our strengths and weaknesses ahead of the World Cup tournament. I am very happy certain aspects of our game though – firstly, the players did not have any problems with the combinations they played as well as with the tempo of the match, which is very pleasing,” Senong told the Safa website.
“But there are areas that need to be addressed when we hold our tactical video sessions. Some of these will be that we need to ensure that we find a strategy to expand the players’ mentality. We also have to work on decision making and we need to make good use of our ball possession.”
Amajita travel to Netherlands on Wednesday, where they will play practice matches against Feyenoord, Ajax Amsterdam and PEC Zwolle on April 29, April 30 and May 2 respectively.
“These are very valuable matches and we would like to thank the three clubs for agreeing to assist us in our preparations. Gratitude must also go to the South African Football Association leadership for allowing us to prepare the team thoroughly.
“We will also be using the three games to select the final 21-man squad that will represent South Africa in South Korea, so these are very crucial matches not only for the players but also for the technical team. When we return from Europe we will know which players are ready for the tournament, because a few days thereafter we will be leaving for the World Cup.”
South Africa have been drawn in Group D alongside Italy, Uruguay and Japan.
