A day after complaining about a defence that conceded stupid goals in the Tshwane Derby against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, Stuart Baxter saw SuperSport United’s rearguard strengthened by the signing of Tefu Mashamaite on Monday.
After the transfer window closed at midnight yesterday, now comes the hard part for the Matsatsantsa a Pitori coach - getting what is a good squad on paper to gel and produce the goods on the field.
The new signings alone, with a few tweaks here and there regarding positions, can make a formidable starting XI.
Reyaad Pieterse in goal; a back five of Onismor Bhasera, Morgan Gould, Mario Booysen, Mashamaite and Thabo Makhele would be hard to penetrate. In midfield they can have Cole Alexander, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Teboho Mokoena and Keagan Ritchie while Thabo Mnyamane leads the attack.
“Just because you have some decent players, it doesn’t mean that they will click just like that,” Baxter said.
The job for Baxter now is to get the team to click. They struggled to do that against Sundowns yet they had looked good against Platinum Stars in the league even though they lost that match as well. Matsatsantsa found it hard to pick themselves up after a disappointing start under Gordon Igesund until he was fired in January.
They showed more resolve when Baxter took over, bouncing back from a disappointing start to the season to finishing it as Nedbank Cup champions.
The Tshwane side can’t afford a similar start in what promises to be a very tightly-contested season.
“I am not worried about the two defeats, one in the league and the other in a cup,” Baxter said. “I am worried about the tendencies that we showed on the field against Sundowns. We have a lot of work to do to make sure that when we play our next game (against Chippa United on September 14) we are tighter, more relaxed on the ball and make better decisions.
“Our defensive structure needs to be solid when we are defending set-pieces because two of the goals that we conceded against Sundowns came from set-plays, which is ridiculous.
“What worried me the most against Sundowns is that we gave away stupid goals.”
The former Bafana Bafana coach will use the international break to work on strengthening the defence where Mashamaite could partner Booysen at centreback in the long run with Denwin Farmer pushed to fullback.
Baxter can also play three central defenders in Mashamaite, Booysen and Gould - like he did at Kaizer Chiefs with Mashamaite, Mulomowandau Mathoho and Gould, which allowed the fullbacks to push forward freely. But Baxter won’t be in a hurry to make wholesale changes. He already has found himself having to defend why he has recruited so many players he worked with at Chiefs.
“I want people in our team that I can trust,” Baxter said. “Of course we can buy a player from (Orlando) Pirates whom we have done our homework on and we believe we can trust. But with Masha, and all the other players we brought in, Yeye, Reyaad, and Morgan - you want people that you can trust. You want people with character. One of the things that Masha gives us is an enormous character. We now have centrebacks vying for positions and behind them we have talented younger centrebacks going to school - Masha is not one to come here and start blowing trumpets and say, look at me guys, I am the saviour!. He isn’t about that. He will come in and do an honest day’s work.” - The Star