The recently-concluded HopHydro Cup gave players and coaches an insightful look at how far the country is lacking when it comes to youth development. The visiting side, Mamelodi Sundowns U/18, dominated the tournament, and won all their matches to win the trophy in the end.

Sundowns coach Michael Manzini said it’s a bit of a reflection of the Brave Warriors. He thinks there’s a lot of improvement currently happening in the country as they always keep an eye out with players, but more should still be done. “You can see these are two very strong teams we played against. I think the only thing is that you need to train them to last the tournament. The consistency part of it becomes important. Both from a technical, physical point of view so that you don’t get these ups and downs,” he said.

Manzini was pointing out the fact that the Khomas Regional selected team and Collin Benjamin’s Talents (CBS) team should be able to perform consistently, which was not the case over the three-day tournament. “One match they perform, and then the next match they don’t. So, it’s only that. But in terms of the quality of the play itself, you could see that they competed with everyone. There are a lot of areas to look at when it comes to improvement, and well-structured training programmes should be put in place. It has to be backed up by good nutrition obviously, and there are other things in line like the amount of sleep, rest load, and recovery. You’ve got to consider all of those things.” 

“In terms of information, we have analysts, we have conditioning coaches, we have all of these people. We want perfection, it’s perpetual and continuous, but the struggle is towards perfection. We want to be better and better. So, in all those areas, we look to improve,” Manzini said.

National team coach Collin Benjamin feels that more should be done as the local teams lost their matches when they faced Sundowns.  “I think in this regard, I wouldn’t even speak about CBS, I think they did well, they got that second place, but there’s still a lot to be done. I think, generally, if you check the Namibian kid or the Namibian player at this age, technically there is still a lot to do.”

“There is a difference between technique and skill. We might have a skill, but the technique is something that we have to work on. I think Sundowns put that bar very high. Technically, they sound organised,” he said.

Benjamin felt that Sundowns have a good structure, as they know how to build up from the back right through to the midfield, something which they lacked. “We want to engage our wingers so there’s a clear plan, and that clear plan can only be executed if the player is fit, if the player has strength and is well-trained.”

Coach Risto Shikomba from Khomas Select Team said youth development is not taken seriously as they were outclassed by Sundowns, losing 6-1, and only managed to record one victory against Germany’s FC Nurnberg.

“We don’t take development seriously, compared to our opponents. Those guys are way ahead, compared to our talented boys. We don’t look after them, develop them, guide them. These are simple basics that we are not putting effort into. The other thing is the preparation. We only want to do things at the tournament, which is impossible.” 

“I think they need to learn from this. Coaches must assist these boys to become better,” he said.