The South Africa coach is counting on her players playing in Europe to prepare for the qualifiers for CAN 2022. Desiree Ellis wants them during the international break.

Not spared by the health crisis, the women’s selection of South Africa wants to make up for lost time. The coach of Banyana Banyana militates, in fact, for a regrouping with her players evolving in Europe. Desiree Ellis thus hopes to give a new start to her team, which is strongly disturbed by the absence of expatriates due to Covid-19. And better prepare for the qualifiers for the 2022 Women’s CAN. “We would like to reinstate the players based abroad during the Fifa calendar. Because the last time they put on the national team jersey was towards the end of 2019, when we faced Japan. So it’s very long, ” notes Desiree Ellis .

But the South African technician is not worried despite this long break. “We know they got better from the regular training and the games they play. It’s good for us. If you look at Nigeria and Cameroon, they all have experienced players overseas. And when they come back, they change the mentality of the team, ”she emphasizes. Desiree Ellis is thus counting on her international Europeans to reach a new level. “Previously we had one or two (players) abroad, now we have a lot. I hope they will take this team to the next level. We must use this year to catch up. “

“Impressed” by the level of local players

While waiting for the expatriates, coach Ellis and his staff are already in the process of preparing for the CAN 2022 qualifiers. They have just completed a training camp with 18 local players. A grouping of which the technician retains only the positive. “The tech team are actually very impressed with what they saw. We didn’t expect to see the players at this level. The clubs have done very well in their pre-season training. And we can only get better from now on, ” she believes.