‘He Listens, For Now’: Da Cruz On Baartman’s Sensational Amakhosi Rise
Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz has praised youngster Luke Baartman for his outstanding start to the new campaign after the 20-year-old quickly established himself as a key player.
The Amajita attacker has emerged as one of the most notable performers in Da Cruz’s Kaizer Chiefs side, having started all three matches Amakhosi have played so far this season.
Baartman’s rise has been particularly impressive given the lack of opportunities he received last season at Naturena.
Under the guidance of Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, the youngster featured in just seven matches, with most of his appearances coming after the 80th minute.
This season, however, Da Cruz has shown significant faith in the forward by making him a regular starter. Baartman has responded with performances that have justified the French coach’s decision to trust him.
The former Cape Town Spurs attacker was named Man of the Match in Chiefs’ opening league game against Kruger United two weeks ago before producing another impressive display in the quarter-final defeat to Golden Arrows.
The youngster continued his good form on Wednesday evening, helping Amakhosi secure a 2–0 victory over Sekhukhune United and scoring his first goal for the club.
Da Cruz believes Baartman’s ability to operate in different positions will be important in modern football, while also praising his technical qualities, explosiveness and willingness to listen and learn.
“Today, in modern football, the concept of position is difficult because when you look at the top teams, you see their ability to have certain players play in different positions,” he said.
“That is the trend in football today, and I think we need to give our players the tools and the ability to play in several positions, rather than necessarily fixing them in one position.
“What is especially important is that they understand the situation they are in and know what they need to do in that position, whether they are playing out wide or inside.
“He’s a player who has some interesting technical qualities. He’s also someone who has good explosiveness in his game.
“But he’s a young player, and for now, he listens, and that’s very important.
“The most difficult thing for young players is their ability to listen because at some point they think they are already established players and they forget the most important thing, which is to listen.
“So, for now, he listens, and that’s a good thing.
“But I know very well from experience that a player cannot maintain this level throughout the whole season. He will need periods of recovery, and that’s something we will have to support him through.”
Da Cruz also explained his decision to hand Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro his first start for Chiefs against Sekhukhune, following his positive impact as a substitute in the previous match against Arrows.
“Yes, the choice was quite simple,” he added.
“Flavio Da Silva got injured on Friday, before the Golden Arrows match, so I started Wandile Duba and then brought on Ighodaro.
“Since Ighodaro made a good impact against Golden Arrows, I decided to start him today because I wasn’t sure about Silva.
“It’s true that we need to improve our game. There are things that are interesting, but one of the things we need to improve is getting more balls into the box.
“At the same time, I started him because I wanted him to use his physical strength to put pressure on Sekhukhune’s two centre-backs.”
Baartman will now be hoping to continue his impressive form when Amakhosi face Mamelodi Sundowns in their next Betway Premiership match at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
The youngster will be eager to build on his strong performances and continue proving himself as an important part of Da Cruz’s plans.
Ighodaro, meanwhile, will also be looking to retain his place in the starting XI and score his first goal for Chiefs after being trusted from the start in the midweek victory.
