Veteran midfielder has shared about the tactical gamble coach Steve Barker took on him
Andile Jali has opened up about the way he was turned from a winger to a central midfielder in the formative years of his career.
The Chippa United midfielder started out at University of Pretoria under coach Steve Barker between 2008 and 2009 with the team full of a number of youngsters who have gone on to become stars in the PSL such as Bongani Zungu, Mthokozisi Yende and Washington Arubi among others.
However, Jali’s career took a different turn when the team was left light in midfield following an injury and Barker took a gamble on him that turned out to be a masterstroke.
How was Jali converted from a flying winger?
“I was playing right-wing before,” Jali said on the Nedbank Uncovered podcast, as quoted by iDiski Times.
“I was playing right winger. I was too tiny when I arrived at Tuks. Our middle-fielders they got injured at that time, so that’s when coach Steve Barker said, ‘No man, I remember you, you were playing in the middle-field Coca-Cola football stars’.
“I said yes! And he put me there. Then I said it’s okay, since I’m fighting against the giants there, we had Mdu and then another Mdu – big Brian Mdu, they were giants.
‘AJ15’ has enjoyed great success playing in midfield
“I started there bit by bit, Nedbank and after that, the rest of the story is history.”
Jali would go on to sign for Orlando Pirates in 2009, winning two PSL titles before a four-year stint in Belgium with KV Oostende from 2014-2018.
He returned to South Africa to sign for Mamelodi Sundowns where he enjoyed a successful five-year stay that yielded four PSL crowns before a short stint with Moroka Swallows after which he joined Chippa in the just concluded transfer window.
