Moorosi Tsiane
THE senior national soccer coach, Thabo Senong, says the coronavirus (Covid-19) break will give his players ample time to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCOPN) qualifiers against Benin and Nigeria.
Likuena were meant to play back to back ties against Benin on 25 May 2020 away in Porto-Norvo with the return clash set for three days later at Setsoto Stadium.
However, the games have been postponed due to the raging Coronavirus outbreak that has now killed over 70 000 people globally. The virus has forced different leagues to break since last month.
This week Senong said every challenge presented an opportunity and he was happy that some of the players that he hopes to select would get time to recover from injuries of different magnitudes.
“Every challenge presents opportunities and as much as this looks bad, it is giving some players time to recover from injuries so that they can be eligible for selection,” Senong said.
“Players like Letlatsa Moshoeshoe and Lepheana Mofolo of LDF who were already in the system but had to be left out due to injuries are now going to recover because they are also not playing in the league.
“Other players also have the opportunity to impress so that they can be called into the team.”
Senong urged players not to treat the break as a holiday but instead use it to reflect on themselves while refocusing their goals.
“This is not a Christmas holiday. We shouldn’t relax. Every player must use this break to reflect on themselves and their goals and see if they are in the right direction. If not, then they must refocus.”
To monitor their players, they have created a WhatsApp group where their physical trainer has been sharing some videos with the players on how to keep fit during the break.
“We have a WhatsApp group with players and the physical trainer is sharing with them some videos on what to do in their own space to keep fit while staying withing the government’s guidelines. As much as they must stay at home, they should remain active and fit. They must always be ready for action.
“I also believe coaches of different teams also have their own programmes that they are following.”
The break, Senong said, has also given them more time to monitor their opponents through watching their videos. This will enable them to know the areas of focus when the preparations resume.
“We have shared the videos of our opponents with the players because we want them to know what to expect and the areas to focus on when preparations resume,” Senong said.
