Pitso Mosimane made an intriguing tactical adjustment during Bafana Bafana’s 5-0 victory over Eritrea, introducing Themba Zwane in a deeper central midfield role.
Zwane came on for the final 11 minutes as South Africa comfortably closed out their AFCON 2027 qualifying victory in Cairo. While his cameo was brief, Mosimane’s decision offered a glimpse into the midfield problems currently facing the national team.
Mosimane explains Zwane’s midfield role
Mosimane revealed after the match that the decision to use Zwane in central midfield was largely driven by a lack of experienced options.
The Bafana coach pointed to the absence of several midfielders ahead of the upcoming international assignment against Egypt.
“We are a little thin with the central midfielders against Egypt, so we had to bring Themba Zwane into midfield,” Mosimane said.
He explained that he had wanted to remove Sphephelo Sithole, but the midfielder was effectively the last experienced option available to him.
South Africa are currently without Teboho Mokoena and Thalente Mbatha, while Jayden Adams and Bathusi Aubaas were also unavailable.
That left Sithole carrying much of the midfield experience, prompting Mosimane to consider Zwane in an unfamiliar position.
Zwane’s numbers tell the story
There was little time for the 36-year-old to influence the match, with Bafana already comfortably ahead when he entered the field.
Zwane recorded just five touches and completed all four of his attempted passes, giving him a 100% passing accuracy rate.
However, he did not register a shot, assist or chance created and finished with 0.00 expected goals and 0.00 expected assists.
His defensive statistics were similarly limited, with no tackles, interceptions or recoveries recorded during his short appearance.
As a result, his cameo was more significant for the tactical experiment than for his individual statistical contribution.
A midfield headache for Mosimane
The decision to use Zwane in midfield underlines the selection challenge confronting Mosimane.
With Mokoena, Mbatha, Adams and Aubaas unavailable, the Bafana coach may have to continue exploring alternative combinations in the middle of the pitch.
Zwane’s experience gives Mosimane another option, although it remains to be seen whether the veteran will be considered for a more substantial role in central midfield going forward.
For now, the Eritrea match provided an early indication that Mosimane is willing to adapt his selections when circumstances demand it.
