Has Mosimane Changed Tune On Appollis After Eritrea Demolition?
Pitso Mosimane appears to have changed his tune on Oswin Appollis after the Orlando Pirates attacker played a starring role in Bafana Bafana’s 5-0 demolition of Eritrea.
Mosimane came under heavy criticism after his comments following the previous match, when he suggested Appollis needed to adapt his game to accommodate Aubrey Modiba. The Bafana coach said the diminutive attacker should stay wide instead of moving inside, allowing Modiba to make runs into central areas and operate as a No. 10 or No. 8 when the team attacks.
Those comments appeared to suggest that Appollis had to alter his natural game to suit another player. And this irked some supporters, especially those aligned to Pirates.
However, after Wednesday night’s emphatic Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory in Egypt, Mosimane had nothing but praise for the Pirates star.
“I am happy with the two assists from Appollis. He can play anywhere, on the side, come in and all that. He is a good boy, a good player,” Mosimane said.
The coach also highlighted Appollis’ contribution to Luther Singh’s goal as the forward returned to the scoresheet after a lengthy absence.
“Yeah, I am happy for Appollis, he gave us assists. He helped Luther Singh to score after coming back, he has been out for a while.”
Mosimane believes the performances of Appollis and Singh also highlighted the unity within the Bafana camp.
“Even Luther gave two assists, that shows the boys are together and there is no selfishness in this team,” he added.
He also reserved praise for Relebohile Mofokeng, adding: “Rele showed his class. I mean, Rele is a top player.”