Banyana have to work on defence after 13 goals conceded in three games

Despite their latest defeat to Australia, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes there was some improvement in their performance after their two defeats at home to Brazil.

SA lost 4-1 to Australia at Kingsmeadow Stadium in London on Saturday. This was their third 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup preparation match, and Banyana are yet to register a win.

In the three encounters, two against Brazil in September and one against Australia, Banyana have managed to score only one goal while they have conceded an alarming 13.

Though Ellis led SA to their maiden Caf Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco in July, a poor defence has been haunting the team for some time, especially when playing higher-profile opponents from outside Africa.

Former SA captain Ellis believes the nervy start to their game contributed to the loss to the Aussies.

“I thought we didn’t start well, conceded very early. There was nervousness from the first goal,” the coach said.

“We spoke about minimising the mistakes but once again we conceded from a mistake. At times we were good on the ball but we were not consistent.

“We played in patches and not tracking back. But I think it’s a better performance in terms of being better on the ball, both defensively and in holding the ball.

“There are a lot of positives besides that, testing players and I think some of them raised their hands. The others came through for us.

“We were not consistent in being better on the ball at times and at times we gave it away cheaply and we scored a goal that was great for the players.”

Ellis said Banyana's effort to progress to a point of having a tight defence will eventually succeed.

“This is a process. We have played three games in two international windows and we will work on that continuously to be better. The World Cup is not tomorrow.

“We feel it was a better performance but we need to minimise our mistakes — that is what cost us again. We will consistently work on that and get better.”

The gap between most African countries and those that boast professional leagues is clear when there are these kinds of matches. Though SA has the Hollywoodbets Super League, it is still not fully professional.

Most players depend on full-time jobs to provide for themselves while others are students, which makes it a bit challenging for teams to prepare.

“Playing back to back [in the SA league], Saturday and Wednesday, doesn’t help the players because there is no time to prepare for any game. So you go from the one game on the Saturday, you are doing the recovery the Sunday, getting ready to travel, playing on the Wednesday,” Ellis said.

“Playing the best against the best would obviously help. But having a professional league where players solely focus on football would really help.

“We try and assist by giving the players programmes but you’re training on your own. Yes, having a professional league would definitely raise the standard.”

The Women’s World Cup is in Australia in July and August.

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