“We don’t want to think too far ahead, we don’t want to lose focus on what is coming,” said Ellis.
As Banyana Banyana prepare for their final group game against Mali, coach Desiree Ellis says she is not thinking about the possibility of defending their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.
The sides, who are tied on four points in Group C, will meet in a top-of-the-table clash at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda on Monday night (kick-off is at 9pm).
ALSO READ: Ellis hails Banyana after strong comeback against Tanzania
After starting the tournament with a 2-0 win over Ghana, South Africa were held to a 1-1 draw by Tanzania in their second Group C match on Friday.
And following those not-so-convincing displays in the two games they have played so far, questions have been raised on whether Banyana will be able to defend the trophy they won in 2022.
Ellis says they will continue to take it one game at a time before they can start thinking about defending the title.
“It is too early to talk about titles or defending this trophy because there is still a long way to go in the tournament, with more games to be played. For us, it is about taking one game at a time,” said Ellis.
“We don’t want to think too far ahead, we don’t want to lose focus on what is coming.”
Ellis is expected to make changes again to her starting line-up when Banyana face Mali.
The Banyana coach came under a bit of fire for dropping goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, who had kept a clean sheet in the game against Ghana, and replacing her with Kaylin Swart.
Ellis explained why she opted to start with Swart in goals ahead of Andile Dlamini, who kept a clean sheet in the win over Ghana.
“There are very small margins between Andile and Kaylin, and I think we are very privileged to have two top-quality goalkeepers in this country. Anyone can come in on the day and stand in goals. There are not many teams that have two quality goalkeepers like ours. If either of them goes to another country, they will be the number one goalkeeper.
“For this match, we just thought that Kaylin might exploit the sides of Tanzania with her distribution,” explained Ellis.
Ellis is expecting another tough clash against Mali, saying there are no easy games in the tournament held in Morocco.
ALSO READ: Banyana held to a draw by Tanzania in WAFCON clash
“We said before the match that no game is easy, we saw how Nigeria scored in the last minute, that’s how difficult the games are going to be, but you have to take your chances.”
