New Kaizer Chiefs defender Thabo Moloisane should have been a serious contender for the Footballer of the Season award, according to former Magesi FC head coach Allan Freese.
Moloisane, 26, joined Amakhosi as a free agent after leaving Stellenbosch FC in June and is the only defender brought in by Chiefs ahead of the new campaign, where he will fill the void left by Aden McCarthy.
Freese, who previously worked with Moloisane at All Stars, believes the centre-back’s performances last season merited recognition in the end-of-season awards, which saw Relebohile Mofokeng named Footballer of the Season.
“I support their choice of Relebohile Mofokeng as Footballer of the Season, but Thabo Moloisane undoubtedly deserved to come much closer,” Freese told Kickoff.
“The issue is that we tend to focus heavily on midfielders and strikers, neglecting defenders.”
Defender’s qualities highlighted
Freese said Moloisane’s consistency and defensive attributes had placed him among the top centre-backs in the league, even if that was not fully reflected in the awards or national team selection.
The former Stellenbosch FC player has earned a number of Bafana Bafana call-ups on the back of his club form, although he missed out on the squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and was also overlooked in the Defender of the Season category.
Speaking about their time together at All Stars, Freese detailed how he set up his defence to maximise Moloisane’s strengths.
“When I coached him at All Stars, I deployed him in a back three, and he excelled on the right side,” Freese said.
“He defends effectively, is strong one-v-one, and wins aerial duels despite not being very tall.
“He easily could have been the Footballer of the Season,” the former PSL coach explained.
Key role expected at Kaizer Chiefs
Moloisane is set to be thrown straight into the action at Kaizer Chiefs and is expected to start on Saturday when Amakhosi face Kruger United in their opening match of the season at the Mbombela Stadium.
Having arrived as the only defensive reinforcement, he is anticipated to play a central role in reshaping Chiefs’ back line following McCarthy’s departure.
Freese’s comments add to the wider debate over how defenders are judged in comparison with attacking players in end-of-season honours, but he remains adamant that Moloisane’s displays warranted far greater recognition.
