An ace that Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has on her sleeve is the versatility of Sibulele Holweni, and it may come in handy at the Fifa Women's World Cup.
Banyana are gearing up for a second appearance at the World Cup hosted in the Oceania nations Australia and New Zealand. They will face Sweden, Italy and Argentina in the group stages in the July-August event.
With three months left until the global showpiece, Holweni revealed that the coaching staff has started laying the blueprint of how they want them to play.
“The coaches have started outlining how they want us to play at the World Cup, they have started to prepare us on how we should be on the pitch. Every camp is important now, all of them we treat seriously, our minds are sharp now,” Holweni told Sowetan during a Banyana media day in Johannesburg yesterday.
At just 21, Holweni has become a regular member of the Banyana set-up. What makes her stand out from the rest is her ability to play different positions: she can play as a striker, central midfield and at left-back. Holweni shared how her time at the high-performance centre (HPC) in Pretoria shaped her to be the utility player she is.
“I have always been a versatile player since the juniors, luckily I went to the HPC. Once you have stayed there, I can bet that you can’t play only one position, you have to play many positions. Being a versatile player is one of the things that work to my advantage.
“Most of us at Banyana are from the HPC, so all of us can play multiple positions. That will help us. if I’m out of position, another player can cover me because they know the role of the position, we can switch positions,” she said.
Looking forward to the World Cup, Holweni is ready to play where Ellis deploys her.
“I love every position as long as I’m playing football. Whatever role I have to play in the position that I’m selected for, I always make sure I do my best.
“If the coach's plan is for me to play at left-back or as a striker, I will play that position. I always prepare for whatever comes my way,” Holweni said.
Versatile Holweni ready to help Banyana in any position
'Most of us are from HPC, so we can play multiple positions'
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
An ace that Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has on her sleeve is the versatility of Sibulele Holweni, and it may come in handy at the Fifa Women's World Cup.
Banyana are gearing up for a second appearance at the World Cup hosted in the Oceania nations Australia and New Zealand. They will face Sweden, Italy and Argentina in the group stages in the July-August event.
With three months left until the global showpiece, Holweni revealed that the coaching staff has started laying the blueprint of how they want them to play.
“The coaches have started outlining how they want us to play at the World Cup, they have started to prepare us on how we should be on the pitch. Every camp is important now, all of them we treat seriously, our minds are sharp now,” Holweni told Sowetan during a Banyana media day in Johannesburg yesterday.
At just 21, Holweni has become a regular member of the Banyana set-up. What makes her stand out from the rest is her ability to play different positions: she can play as a striker, central midfield and at left-back. Holweni shared how her time at the high-performance centre (HPC) in Pretoria shaped her to be the utility player she is.
“I have always been a versatile player since the juniors, luckily I went to the HPC. Once you have stayed there, I can bet that you can’t play only one position, you have to play many positions. Being a versatile player is one of the things that work to my advantage.
“Most of us at Banyana are from the HPC, so all of us can play multiple positions. That will help us. if I’m out of position, another player can cover me because they know the role of the position, we can switch positions,” she said.
Looking forward to the World Cup, Holweni is ready to play where Ellis deploys her.
“I love every position as long as I’m playing football. Whatever role I have to play in the position that I’m selected for, I always make sure I do my best.
“If the coach's plan is for me to play at left-back or as a striker, I will play that position. I always prepare for whatever comes my way,” Holweni said.
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