Ellis Prioritizes ‘Building Blocks’ Over Scoreline

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis admits that while fans demand a victory, her primary focus for the upcoming friendlies against Algeria is the long-term preparation for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco this July.

The reigning African champions host the North Africans in a two-match series, starting at Princess Magogo Stadium today (Tuesday) and moving to King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday.

Ellis, a four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, will be without key players, including Thembi Kgatlana, Sibulele Holweni, Amogelang Matau, and Bongeka Gamede.

However, Hildah Magaia—who scored twice when Banyana lifted their maiden WAFCON title in 2022—is part of the squad in Durban, alongside captain Refiloe Jane. The team will also debut a new Adidas kit.

Although results are not her primary concern, Ellis emphasised the importance of giving players game time.

“You always want to win matches—there’s no two ways about it,” Ellis said at the pre-match press conference.

“But we’ve brought a group of players here and we have two matches. It would be wrong not to test them or give them an opportunity to play—otherwise, why bring them? Not all of them will play, but they might get a few minutes.

“We’ve brought three goalkeepers. Maybe only two will play, but the idea is to assess and test the players.

“We’ve evaluated them in training. I know the result matters to the fans, but for us it’s about the process of preparing for WAFCON. This is another opportunity.

“Even though the league hasn’t started, training has continued throughout March to assess where the players are and what we need to improve.

“Before you know it, WAFCON will be here, so this gives us valuable preparation time. We’ve been working on several aspects of our game—you might not see everything in Tuesday’s match, but hopefully you’ll see some of the progress we’ve made.

“It’s not about focusing on one area. If you only work on attack, you neglect defence—they go hand in hand. Tomorrow, we hope to see that balance come together. We are also facing a very organised side, as we saw during WAFCON. They, like us, value possession football.”

This will be the fourth meeting between the two nations, with Banyana Banyana having won two and drawn one of the previous encounters.

All three previous matches were played at WAFCON tournaments, including a 1-1 draw at the 2022 edition.

Meanwhile, Algeria coach Farid Benstiti says his side is focused on being competitive rather than the result.

“I think the result is not the most important thing for us,” said Benstiti.

“What matters is being competitive. We want to challenge Banyana Banyana, and then we will see what happens.”