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- Hugo Broos acknowledged the ongoing challenge of finding a midfield solution for Bafana Bafana.
- He highlighted the importance of Teboho Mokoena in midfield.
- The coach expressed the need for additional options in the middle of the park.
- For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.
It has been 926 days since Hugo Broos was appointed as Bafana Bafana's head coach, and the Belgian has admitted that he is still seeking a solution to his midfield problem.
South Africa set sail on a quest to secure a ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they kickstart their qualifying campaign with matches against Benin on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and Rwanda on Tuesday to finish the second of 10 rounds of games.
Broos announced a 23-man squad for his 13th camp since his awkward unveiling via Zoom on 5 May 2021, and Teboho Mokoena's name is always on that list when announced. In fact, he is essential to how Broos wants his Bafana side to play.
However, he wants midfielders who can complement Bafana's mainstay, Mokoena, in the engine room, which is in dire need of fuel that can inject energy into an area that needs it most, especially if Bafana are going to jump over the World Cup qualification hurdle, which they have not done in over two decades.
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Bafana last played at a World Cup in 2010, but their qualification was a golden ticket which host nations receive after their bid is accepted by FIFA.
The last time Bafana qualified of their own accord was at the 2002 edition.
After the Benin and Rwanda matches, Broos has about six weeks to finalise his squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in January/February in Ivory Coast and while Mokoena's place is a certainty, there's decisions Broos has to consider when it comes to his midfield.
The 26-year-old Mokoena, often referred to as Tebza, has featured in 17 of Broos' 21 matches in charge, with the four fixtures he missed being due to injury.
That's a ratio of 81% - not that any deep-dive kind of data matters – but the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder has been the player most used by Broos followed by Siyanda Xulu, Ronwen Williams, Nyiko Mobbie and Bongokuhle Hlongwane who have all played a game less.
"That position, unfortunately, is not a fancy position," said former Sundowns midfielder Hlompho Kekana exclusively to News24.
"We won't really recognise the amount of work that Tebza is doing in that Sundowns team, and I can mention a lot of them.
"They showed that they really deserve to be in the Bafana squad. I would say that Tebza being in the team helps a lot because then he gives the team stability, he gives the team balance."
The balance Kekana is talking about is the fundamental reason Masandawana paid SuperSport United big money to secure the midfielder's services last year.
Mokoena has played such a massive role for Rhulani Mokwena's team since he arrived and has now helped Masandawana to the 2022/23 league title - and, on Sunday, they also bagged the inaugural African Football League crown.
But, at Sundowns, the combinations which Mokoena are prone to and comfortable with, which make Masandawana tick, are with Marcelo Allende, who hails from Chile. On the other flank, it is Aubrey Modiba, who is a regular in the Bafana setup.
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However, with Innocent Maela injured, Modiba has often played left-back, another Achilles heel for the national team.
Modiba is a player Broos wishes to move back to midfield if there is a solution to left-back, and that is why 22-year-old Golden Arrows left-back Bradley Cross has received his debut call-up to the national team.
Mothobi Mvala is a player Broos relied on in midfield to flank Mokoena, as the duo played more matches together in midfield than any other pairing. However, the long-term injury layoff to Rushin de Reuck has seen Broos shift Mvala to partner Siyanda Xulu in the heart of defence.
The Bafana squad conundrum for Broos has always been a case of finding the right pieces. Now, at the halfway mark of his five-year contract, he is not quite there yet, but he continues searching diligently for players that fit his criteria.
"For the other side … okay, we have Oswin Apollis, and now we have Bradley [Cross] also on the left side, where we only have [Aubrey] Modiba," said Broos.
"As Maela is still injured. I'm afraid he will not be there for Afcon. So, we need someone there. Therefore, we have Bradley now, and let's hope that he can satisfy us."
Broos, who wears his heart on his sleeve when speaking about Bafana, has rummaged through several topics about his desire for the South African senior national team, from the young versus older players debate to what he expects from the players he chooses.
When they are out of line, he will spew the truth to the media; if they are doing well, he will scream it from the top of Table Mountain if he could, but he would do it in a manner by keeping them humble and, more importantly, hungry for more.
Unfortunately, the list is lengthy, but holding everyone associated with Bafana accountable – from the PSL to the media and especially SAFA (and others) – is precisely the necessary solution for getting the national team on the right track.
Because he is starving for success, he is eager to have players – and everyone involved - with an appetite. Broos, an Afcon-winning coach with Cameroon, has a wealth of experience as a former player and a manager.
He knows what the stakes are and the levels expected. From getting the right formula within a squad and a starting team that works well together, he has shuffled many a name in defence, midfield and the forward pack, but none more than in the engine room.
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He parked the idea of building a team with young players and mixed it up to balance it with the necessary experience. When he was queried on it, he said: "Only a fool doesn't change his mind" - and roped in Themba Zwane, the veteran Broos now prefers to play in the number 10 role which he does so well for Sundowns.
He is a player Mokoena works well with in midfield, but now Broos wants a player, if Zwane is unable to play, and Broos hopes Stellenbosch FC's Jayden Adams is the answer.
"We are looking for someone when something is happening with Themba (Zwane). So, it's not the same type, and Jayden is also a more offensive midfielder.
"In the past, we did it sometimes with the Teboho, but I need Teboho in front of my defence because he's the link and does it with Sundowns. So, we needed someone there, and maybe Jayden could solve this problem."
In total, Broos has used and looked at 77 players and moved to 82 for this camp, with debutants Adams, Cross, Apollis, Thapelo Xoki and Ellias Mokwena featuring in the squad for the matches against Benin and Rwanda.
Ethan Brooks, Njabulo Blom, Yusuf Maart, Thabang Monare, Miguel Timm, Mduduzi Mdantsane, Grant Margeman, Bandile Shandu and Sipho Mbule are just a few players that have been tried and tested that have now dropped down the midfield pecking order.
Broos, the meticulous architect, moulds a team where each player is a brushstroke on the canvas of success. A success which has seen him lose only three of his 21 matches in charge, with a win ratio of 52.3%.
The quest for the elusive formula persists, but the air is thick with the scent of promise, leaving fans to dream of a future where Bafana's harmonious blend takes centre stage on the global footballing arena again.
