Sifiso Myeni faces a tough task at Orlando Pirates
It's swim or sink for Myeni
Posted: 2012-02-01 12:54
The career of Sifiso Myeni – one of the most promising prospects in South African football – has reached a defining moment.
While Myeni’s relocation to Orlando Pirates from Bidvest Wits, just hours before the January transfer window was shut on Tuesday, can be a stepping stone for the career of the young midfielder, but it also has the potential of damaging his future prospects.
Myeni arrives at a Bucs ship that is already overflowing with midfield talents like Andile Jali, Isaac Chansa, Oupa Manyisa, Tlou Segolela, Daine Klate and Louis Boa Morte.
Although he has vowed to fight for his place in the Pirates line-up, Myeni will be the first to agree that he faces a tough task in proving he can maintain a regular spot in coach Julio Leal's first team.
Unlike at his former club, where he was one of the first names on the team-sheet, Myeni is most likely to start his first few games for Pirates from the bench.
Jali has been consistent for Pirates; so consistent that over the last two seasons he has been able to command a place in Pitso Mosimane's full strength Bafana Bafana side.
Both Klate and Manyisa have given Leal more attacking options, while Chansa's experience – and goalscoring abilities – also gives him a commanding presence in the Bucs midfield.
As a winger, Myeni will face direct competition from Segolela, Klate, Rudolf Bester and Dikgang Mabalane, while Chansa, Mark Mayambela and Thulasizwe Mbuyane are also versatile enough to play in that position when called upon to do so.
Such a scenario leaves Myeni with the tall order of finding his place among arguably the most talented midfield cast in the Absa Premiership.
Football can be a cruel game, especially at a club as big as Pirates. The first half of the season saw Mayambela and Clifford Ngobeni (both midfielders) being used very sparingly by Leal.
Mayambela, who is contracted to Bucs until 2013, told KickOff.com recently that he is ready to “work hard in order to regain a starting place” in the team, while Ngobeni opted for a new home in the form of Golden Arrows, where he is guaranteed more game-time under Muhsin Ertugral.
Like Myeni, Ngobeni rose to become a household name at Ajax Cape Town, where he went on to record a total of 71 starts for the Urban Warriors. An impressive performance in the 2006/07 season saw Ngobeni being voted the PSL’s Young Player of the Year.
However, a move to Pirates in 2009 did not yield the desired result as Ngobeni struggled in the face of stiff competition in Bucs’ midfield department.
Veteran coach Ted Dimitru, who won two successive League titles with Kaizer Chiefs between 2004 and 2005, says a change in coaching philosophies has been known to have a negative effect on players.
“There are cases where you have very good players moving to bigger clubs and failing to make an impact,” says Dimitru. “This can be attributed to a change in the coaching system that the player would have become used to.”
Following a much hyped move to Pirates, there is no doubt that Myeni will be under immense pressure when the League resumes to justify why he is rated so highly in South African football circles.
He will either swim or sink...
: 2012-02-01 13:09
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