There's a part of Joseph Makhanya that wishes Samukelo Kabini was still at Orlando Pirates, but losing the defender opened the door to the Buccaneers having Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
Kabini is on the verge of sealing a deal with Norwegian outfit Molde from TS Galaxy, making a move believed to be R15 million. Pirates may feel that they missed out on having the talented Kabini in their first team, but the door has now been opened for Mbokazi to make a name for himself and he's doing fairly well so far in the senior team, with a goal and two man of the match performances in four appearances.
READ: Broos' Reason For Calling Up Pirates Target
Makhanya, Pirates' DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) coach, spoke to Soccer Laduma about Kabini and Mbokazi, who did not quite understand fancy football language when he got to Bucs.
"With Mbekezeli, there was a tournament in KZN. So, we had recently lost Samukelo Kabini. He (Kabini) was our player and he had a stellar season. He was ready to be promoted and then he disappeared and we saw him at TS Galaxy. I don't feel happy that he is not at Pirates. Kabini was key in our defence, but I am happy to see him growing because my job is to make sure they progress to the next level and I am happy that he took the opportunity. You create your opportunities by performing well and now he is going to play overseas. I would have loved to see him at Pirates, but if Kabini was here, then maybe we would not know Mbekezeli," Makhanya told Soccer Laduma.
"We had to find a replacement and we got Mbekezel. He was an invitee to the tournament. When he got here, Mbekezeli only knew how to speak Zulu. When you say things like 'pressure, cover, balance or counter-press', then he just looks at you. But you could see that there was talent in abundance. It's important for coaches to align with players so that you can bring yourself to their level and make them understand things. Sometimes players don't fail because they are bad players, they fail because the guy is being coached by someone who does not know how to explain certain things to him. So, we constantly had to engage him on the side to show him how things are done."
Makhanya clearly understands what nurturing talent means. He was patient with Mbokazi, especially because the player got into a professional academy set-up later than most teenagers. He joined Pirates as an 18-year-old in 2003 and played in the DDC team for a season-and-a-half before his services were called upon in the first team by head coach Jose Riveiro.
"We can't take it and own it as coaches. I believe, as coaches, we are simply facilitators. It's never the coach who gives the player talent. For example, Rele (Mofokeng) has God given talent and nobody can own that talent. We simply facilitate as coaches and we make sure that the talent gets seen. So, back to Mbekezeli, he did not know this fancy language, but he understands the game because football is a language itself because you need to be in sync with the ball and with your teammates."
READ: New Pirates Signings Expected On The Wing
"Those are some of the challenges we had with Mbekezeli, but you could see that this player knows how to play. He could not talk so much to his teammates. He could only speak by actions on the field. We started making him responsible by giving him the captain's armband and he started opening up. He spoke in Zulu and his teammates started understanding him and you could see the change in him. He became a leader and the ultimate warrior. We just let the kid be and we let the talent speak for itself, without being over critical. It's important that when the stage is presented to these kids, they are ready because when you get to that level, there has to be less mistakes because you are at a professional level."
If Mbokazi continues to shine in the first team, there could be opportunities to join Kabini abroad.
@lindokuhle.msibi72 ????????????i love her aw yoh????????#fyp #streetinterview #street #interview #video #viral_video #entertainment #comedyvideo #laughing #jokess #funnyvideos?? #kasi #viral_video ? original sound - Lindokuhle Msibi
