Tactical approach from influx of Dutch coaches well suited to South African football

The Dutch school of football is working for South African clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL). There is no better evidence than a look at the PSL table, which reveals that the top two teams, Ajax Cape Town and Orlando Pirates, are both under the tutelage of Dutch coaches.

Foppe de Haan and Ruud Krol have brought skill, discipline and exceptional wing play to South African football, and that seems to suit the local players just fine. Foppe de Haan is on the verge of leading the Urban Warriors to their first title in their 13 years of existence, while his fellow countryman Ruud Krol, who broke Orlando Pirates’ 10-year trophy drought by leading them to MTN8 Cup glory is also looking to add the Premiership title to the Buccaneers’ cabinet, his side currently trailing Ajax Cape Town by three points.

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The Brazilians, Serbians, Germans and Spanish coaches have all had a go at the championship race in South Africa, but they have fallen short of their Dutch counterparts. Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov was in charge at Mamelodi Sundowns last year, but his experience could not bring the title any closer for the Brazilians.

His successor, the Spaniard Antonio Lopes did not even complete a full season as fans were calling for his dismissal after Sundowns’ terrible performances considering the team that they had at their disposal.

Vladmir Vermezovic and Zoran Filipovic are the two notable Serbians that graced the league this season. Filipovic unfortunately received an early Christmas present in the form of a one-way ticket home after Golden Arrow struggled to find their footing.

Arrows, who are popularly known as Abafana Besithende failed to live to their nickname as their play just did not have the flair that brought fans to the stadium in large numbers.

The German mentor Ernst Middendorp was given an SOS call by Arrows to replaces the Serbian and Middendorp himself had just been sacked at Maritzburg United.

Vermezovic’s Kaizer Chiefs will have to try again next season for the right to win the PSL after failing to keep the pressure on the top two teams coached by Dutch tacticians.

Taking nothing away from Brazilian football, it seems that the Samba style did not suit the local players, or those in the national team that play their football in Europe. South African players are generally small in stature, but possess a great deal of pace, which former Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira also pointed out when asked about the strengths and weaknesses of his charges.

Despite this fact, which he was well aware of, Parreira and his predecessor; Joel Santana did not make use of the pace within the side, and specifically on the wings. Bafana played good passing and positional play at the World Cup under the Brazilian mentor, but the players were not given the confidence to take on defenders. Franklin Cale, Dikgang Mabalane, Tlou Segolela and Thulani Serero are some of the players who thrive on attacking with pace, and they show that capability in the PSL for their clubs on a frequent basis.

Perhaps a Dutch coach would be guided Bafana with more success during the tournament hosted on home soil. Guus Hiddink would have made a great coach for Bafana Bafana, being a coach with international experience who knows that one cannot make orange juice out of lemons.

The Dutchman does not seek to impose his football philosophy on the players, he simply produces results by using elements of Dutch football tactics and discipline integrated into the style of football he is working with. This is the man who took minnows South Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and guided Australia to the 2006 World Cup second round.

"The Dutchman does not seek to impose his football philosophy on the players, he simply produces results by using elements of Dutch football tactics and discipline integrated into the style of football he is working with." - Peter Pedroncelli

Hiddink has coached slow, physical and quick teams but still achieved results due to his ability to mix local styles with Dutch professionalism, but the same cannot be said about Parreira whose past success was with the talented Brazilian team, who were familiar with his coaching principles and found them comfortable to put in place.

Now that local coach Pitso Mosimane is in charge of Bafana, the team is doing well and most recently they defeated African champions Egypt 1-0 in African Nations Cup qualifying.

Aside from local coaches who understand the players and the way the game works in South Africa, Dutch coaches have shown an understanding and capacity to integrate their tactics and philosophy into the PSL with successful results. Perhaps the next time a foreign coach is considered for the national team, the first stop of South African FA officials should be the Netherlands.

One of the Dutch coaches at Orlando Pirates or Ajax Cape Town will be celebrating the title in a few weeks time, and that will be a testament to their hard work and tactical ability where foreign football cultures are concerned, and specifically, where South African football is concerned.

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