Retired Mamelodi Sundowns defender Siyanda Zwane has made a heartfelt plea to Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana midfielder Sipho Mbule to shed some kilos, feeling the 27-year-old’s game lacked hard work to complement his indisputable talent. “You [referring to Mbule] are a better player than me by a mile…you are so talented, so what I am trying to say is that if you can combine your talent and work ethic, you can even surprise yourself as far as reaching greater heights is concerned,” Zwane said in a video he posted on Tik Tok. “I can imagine a Sipho Mbule that’s a little bit leaner, weighing a little bit less than you are currently weighing.
I can imagine what a Sipho Mbule who’s in a top, top physical condition can do for us as a country and for Pirates.” Having struggled with disciplinary issues in the past, Mbule looked to have found a new lease of life this season at Pirates, where his exploits even convinced Bafana coach Hugo Broos to take him to the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. At Afcon, where Bafana were eliminated by Cameroon in the round of 16, Mbule couldn’t really knuckle and did not have influence in the four matches SA played. Zwane strongly believes the former Sundowns playmaker hasn’t really unlocked his true potential, suggesting laziness was holding him back.
“I believe that there’s this version of a player inside you that hasn’t come out. That player inside you is waiting for you to unleash him. My boy, you are making that player inside you lazy…he’s there,” Zwane, who won the CAF Champions League with Sundowns in 2016, said.
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“I want you to question yourself why you hardly finish matches at club level. Your minutes at Bafana are much better than at club level, but you must ask yourself why you hardly finish games.” The retired right-back, who also played for Golden Arrows, also advised Mbule to get a personal trainer. “My boy, please get a personal trainer if you can’t push yourself.
If you can fix the fitness element of your game, I promise you my boy you will be untouchable. “With all the technical arrogance that you have, if you tap into that space of working harder, you will be untouchable whether playing as a 10 or as an 8,” Zwane stated.
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