Amajimbos coach Molefi Ntseki is confident his charges will be a force to reckon with in Niger.
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South Africa’s national Under-17 team (Amajimbos) coach Molefi Ntseki believes his charges are more than prepared to deal with the pressures that come with doing well in the African Youth Championship (AYC) in Niger from February 15.
Amajimbos flew to Niger yesterday via Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), where they are set to have two training sessions before finally settling in Niamey, the Niger capital, for the duration of the tournament.
Amajimbos will take on Ivory Coast, Mali and Cameroon in pursuit of staying afloat of Group B, while hoping to reach the semi-finals.
It is the top four of the Championship that will see them automatically qualify for the U-17 Fifa World Cup tournament set to take place in Chile on October 17 to November 8.
Ntseki said while it was important to fight for the championship title, his charges must never put themselves under unnecessary pressure of chasing the championship title; hence it is the top four finish they are truly aiming for.
“We want to qualify for the World Cup,” he said. “That is our main objective and nothing else. As soon as we secure that spot on the world stage, that’s when we can start thinking about the possibility of winning the championship. But for now, it is important for us not to put ourselves under unnecessary pressure.”
However, pressure will amount when the Amajimbos take on defending champs, Ivory Coast, in their opening match of Group B on February 16.
And while that might seem like more than a mammoth of task to handle in their opening encounter of the tournament, Ntseki said he was not intimidated. Ntseki said a friendly against the host nation Niger would prove pivotal building up to the encounter.
“It makes sense playing against Niger,” he said. “They are the host nation and they would want to prove themselves when they play against us.
“The clash will give us a clear view of what to expect from the tournament and how far we’ve come in terms of our preparations. They are a very competitive side, and as hosts, I truly believe they are going to give us a run for our money and that’s very important for us.
“Ivory Coast are the defending champs for sure and we don’t really know much about them, nor the kind of players they will be bringing into the tournament.
“With our current squad, we’ve both prepared them both mentally and physically to deal with the demands of the tournament. They are tactically on point and they understand that they really need to work hard if they are to come out as victors of this tournament.
“You have to be tactically aware going into such a tournament. You have to know the kinds of formations you will be using in every clash and most importantly, how to close and slow down matches when you are in the lead.
“The other emphasis I’ve picked up with continental competitions is one has to understand the critical phases of a game situation.
“The first 15 and the last 15 minutes are the most crucial. When caught napping, you get punished. One has to be on guard against over-excitement on scoring and frustrations.
“As coaches we have to push our players to be level-headed at all times. We hope to implement this with the current squad (and) hopefully we will win the championship.”
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