Having battled to break through the Bafana Bafana set-up for months despite excellent form last season, Patrick Maswanganyi is now on the opposite side of the spectrum.
The Orlando Pirates man has made a slow start to the 2024/2025 season and is desperate to catch the kind of spark that saw him counted amongst the nation’s best last term.
The 26-year-old has registered just one assist in 15 matches so far in all competitions and has been struggling to run games as he did in the previous campaign.
Whether it’s being man-marked, doubled up on or just pure tired legs, ‘Tito’ has not been able to get it going with his young teammates Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau carrying the creative responsibility of The Sea Robbers.
Now with international duty on his doorstep, a change of scenery and different backing might ignite a fire in the belly of one of the finest midfielders in the country at the moment.
With Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana star man Themba Zwane out with a long-term injury, an unfamiliar chance for Tito has emerged in the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.
Bafana head coach Hugo Broos will look to seal qualification into next year’s tournament when they battle Uganda and then South Sudan.
Maswanganyi has failed to hit the expected heights in the national team jersey albeit with just 140 minutes in his Bafana career.
His last appearance came when he came in for the injured Zwane against Congo but it was a day to forget for the Soweto-born man.
However, Broos has explained the reason behind Tito’s below-par showings in his teams so far and called off the critics as he looks to embed him into his system.
“I don’t think Patrick did have already a good opportunity, he was always coming in the game,” Broos said when speaking to journalists on Thursday.
“And it was not so easy to come in the game in Congo, because we suffered in that game. And then it’s not easy for a team, for a player who plays his first minutes with the Bafana Bafana immediately to have an important role,” said the Belgian.
He further added: “So for him, it’s also a little bit to adapt on our way of playing, on what I’m asking from him, on that position.
“So okay, we will see in the next games, and we will evaluate. But I’m still believing that he has the potential to replace Themba. He didn’t show it for the moment in Bafana Bafana, but okay, we will see.
“Have a little bit of patience, and maybe in a few months we have to say no or maybe yes, we will see.”
Having previously played second fiddle to Zwane in Broos’ team, perhaps stepping into the trust and belief of Broos might signal an upturn in form for the imaginative maestro.
Bafana will travel to Uganda to battle the Cranes on Friday before jetting back to Cape Town to complete their qualification phase with South Sudan four days later.
