The Star Late Edition

30 LEBUSA AJAX'S ‘BRAVEHEART’

Honest leftback Mosa backed his words with actions

- RODNEY REINERS MAZOLA MOLEFE

HONESTY is a crucial trait in the make-up of a successful footballer. Far too often players tend to come off the field satisfied they’ve done enough when, in truth, the performanc­e left a lot to be desired. It’s critical that a footballer is frank when looking inward, that he always challenges himself, and that he is never content with what he has delivered. As an individual, he should always be setting higher standards for himself.

Ajax Cape Town’s Mosa Lebusa is such a player – and he gave ample evidence of this admirable quality when he produced a towering performanc­e in his side’s 1-1 draw with Kaizer Chiefs at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday.

In the build-up to the match, in a candid interview, Lebusa revealed his emotions in a blunt, honest manner. While the 24-year-old left-back acknowledg­ed the Ajax side had been a bit inconsiste­nt, he was ad a - mant that he, as an indi

vidual, needed to raise his game. He admitted he wasn’t happy with his own performanc­es and that, if all the players, himself included, brought more consistenc­y to their own games, then the team would benefit.

And, through the honesty of his introspect­ion, Lebusa dug deep to finally find the form that made him one of the most admired and sought-after defenders in the PSL.

In short, he was simply brilliant against a smooth attacking side like Chiefs. Time after time, he made some useful intercepti­ons and vital tackles to prevent his team from being opened up.

Not only that, with regular captain Travis Graham suspended for the fixture, Lebusa was handed the armband by coach Stanley Menzo – and the player led from the front, the quintessen­tial “Braveheart”, as Ajax narrowly failed to pull off the victory.

Lebusa has come a long way since he hoofed a ball around the streets of Welkom in the Free State.

Scouted by Ajax, he arrived in the Mother City at the age of 16 to join the Cape club’s successful youth academy. By 2012, when he made his official debut for the PSL squad, it was against no less a team than English giants Manchester United in a friendly. He was, subsequent­ly, in an out of the team, especially with Ajax having a glut of left-backs available

at the time, but it was the arrival of Roger de Sa as coach in 2014 that elevated Lebusa. The affable, soft-spoken player was always among the first names on the team sheet during D e Sa’s tenure, and he soon matured into a top-class defender.

At the weekend, he received the man of the match award for his outstandin­g performanc­e against Chiefs – but, in his typical, self-effacing attitude, Lebusa was still not happy.

“I still believe it could be better,” he said. “It’s always nice to get man of the match awards, but it would have meant a lot more if we had won the game.

“It was a tough game against a very good team. We did well as a team. We would have, obviously, preferred all three points, but we’ll take the point.”

Next up for Ajax, and Lebusa, is another difficult encounter when they head for Atteridgev­ille to take on SuperSport United on Saturday night.

“It’s another tough, tough fixture,” said the consummate Ajax left-back. “It’s about the points for us, nothing else… But, I guess, for them, it’s exactly the same. But we have been working hard, we are improving, and we’ll give SuperSport a go on the night.” SOWETO derbies are usually a mixed bag of emotions, and new Orlando Pirates coach Kjell Jonevret, pictured, will get a taste this Saturday.

Here we look at how three of his most recent predecesso­rs fared in their very first clash against archrivals Kaizer Chiefs. Period: June – November 2016 This wasn’t a totally new experience for the Turkish mentor, who had been in charge at Chiefs over two spells prior to being appointed as the Pirates coach in June last year. His first derby in the opposite dugout was widely criticised following a drab goalless draw, where both sides proved to be a little bit too cautious than usual. Ertugral had his game plan disrupted minutes before kickoff when winger Luvuyo Memela pulled out due of a stomach ailment, apparently caused by food poisoning. Ertugral had already lost captain Oupa Manyisa as a result of the same illness and Memela’s late withdrawal meant the Buccaneers were forced to tweak their approach. Period: May 2015 – June 2016 If Jonevret wants to endear himself to the Pirates faithful, then he should give the gingerhair­ed Tinkler a call. Although he’d been

 ?? PICTURE: BACKPAGEPI­X ?? TOWERING SHOW: Mosa Lebusa has matured into a solid leftback and proved his worht for Ajax with a man of the match performanc­e at the weekend.
PICTURE: BACKPAGEPI­X TOWERING SHOW: Mosa Lebusa has matured into a solid leftback and proved his worht for Ajax with a man of the match performanc­e at the weekend.

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