When Thabiso Kutumela came off the bench in the 1-1 MTN8 semifinal draw between Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, he did his best to impress his coaches. After all, it was his cross to the box that led to the equaliser, poached by Pavol Safranko late in this first leg.
Downs co-head coach Rulani Mokwena, sounded like a man who was impressed with Kutumela’s performance. However, it seems as though Mokwena and his coaching partners have not yet invested all their trust in the former Orlando Pirates attacker.
“Kutumela will still improve. He has shown glimpses of what type of player he is. He is brave, direct, versatile and extremely multifunctional. He is a player who loves positioning himself in between the lines, that’s his natural habitat and we create those scenarios for him,” said Mokwena.
“When we start having more trust and confidence when he shows up in those positions, we can give him more of the ball and give him the responsibility to influence the game. We have to be a little bit patient with him and give him the chance to adapt and settle,” he added.
Mokwena, who also worked with Kutumela at Orlando Pirates, has always been an admirer of the 28-year-old and he continues to shower him with praise, together with the newly-found central defensive pairing of Grant Kekana and Rushine De Reuck.
“Kutumela is a top football player, he had a fantastic season with Maritzburg United and he is one of the first players to be called up by Bafana Bafana because of the stature he is growing into. We are hoping for more from him,” added Mokwena.
“The partnership of Rushine and Grant looks to be growing and improving in the absence of both Ricardo Nascimento and Mosa Lebusa, Rushine has stabilised very well the left side of our defence and it is not easy. We have so much more to our centre backs, it is not just about defending, they are involved in the build-up play.”
