Where will Modiba fit into Mamelodi Sundowns?

Mamelodi Sundowns has finally secured the services of SuperSport United’s Aubrey Modiba.

This after months of trying to go after his rivals in the city to sell them to one of his star players in an effort to dominate both nationally and continentally.

The Brazilians have already made several high-profile signings, but Modiba’s arrival is seen as a huge coup because he is versatile and has shown so much potential to become a big name player.

While he did brilliantly during his four-year stay with Matsatsantsa, Modiba now has great opportunity and exposure to even go abroad.

But at the end of the day, it’s not about what Sundowns will give for Modiba, it’s about what the player can offer the club to get the attention of foreign coaches and scouts while also adding more trophies to their cabinet.

Now where will Modiba fit in at Sundowns given the competition he will face?

4-4-2

Modiba’s versatility can be both an advantage and a disadvantage because of the depth that the Brazilians have.

But in a 4-4-2 formation, the 25-year-old would fit as either a left-back or a left-back.

It is unclear how Sundowns will use Modiba now that the man who loved him, Pitso Mosimane, left the club for Al Ahly.

However, the player is comfortable both as a defender and as an attacker on the left flank, which is why Sundowns wanted him in the first place.

With Tebogo Langerman losing a bit of rhythm on the left side, Modiba is seen as his successor, and the advantage is that he will compete with someone who understands the club’s culture.

4-2-3-1

This formation would fit perfectly with Modiba because he will have the freedom to face the defenders and be the supplier of the forwards.

Putting him on the left side of midfield would mean that the man behind him, be it Langerman or Lyle Lakay, would have to sit up and attack little and thus give Modiba enough room to dazzle opposing defenders.

This would also mean that Modiba won’t have to go back as far to help out on defense, as his role would be different.

From this left-wing position, the South African international would be expected to keep opponents busy and this would save him a lot of energy as opposed to when forced to run up and down.

4-2-2-2

In a more advanced left-wing role, Modiba would move closer to the opponent’s goal and put himself in a better position to score.

He has goals in him, and that was evident while he was at SuperSport United, and that was why the coaching team pushed him high on the field when he was a defender, they could see the potential that Modiba had.

For a player who played almost four years as a defender, scoring 19 goals and providing 24 assists means that he is special and must be given the platform to flourish.

This position has been dominated by Themba Zwane, and Modiba would have to come up with something different for the technical team to make him permanent in that role.