In a new series, ThisIsFootball.Africa we ask the top stars of our football to name the best eleven of teammates that they played with throughout their career. This week we spoke to Bafana Bafana legend Andre Arendse about the best XI he has played with, and he started with his best goalkeeper which is himself as well as his defenders. Then presented his star studded midfield. Now we look at the forwards that made the Arendse elite cut and why at Santos they planned attacks around Jean-Marc Ithier.
Forwards
“At Santos we planned most of our attacks around Jean-Marc Ithier. That’s because we knew that he had the best aerial ability in the league. We directed all our play at him. We knew he could either score with his head or knock it down for the midfielders to finish. Not only was he the target of all our moves, but his work rate was also one of the best that I’ve seen of any striker ever.”
“I would pick Shaun Bartlett as Ithier’s strike partner. They would be unstoppable together. Defenders would not have been able to handle their strength and especially their arial ability. Shaun could hit the ball with both feet. He had an accurate volley and an unbelievable first time shot. Then of course he also had a great attribute to head the ball. He was different to Jean-Marc Ithier but he was also a brilliant header of the ball.”
The two upfront are reminiscent of the typical traditional number nine, with similar qualities, which suits the 4-4-2 formation that most teams played back in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
So, there you have the complete Andre Arendse Best XI, Satisfied?
To see Andre Arendse’s full eleven read : Goalkeeper, Defence and Midfield.
