Cape Town – Coach Shakes Mashaba said Bafana Bafana’s “nippy” display laid the foundation for their 2-1 won over Angola in Tuesday’s international friendly at the Cape Town Stadium.
He added that the approach of the visiting Angolans helped to bring the best out of Bafana Bafana.
“What I liked about this (Angola) team is that they never came to park a bus here. They were attacking from the word ‘go’ and their level of match intelligence was very high,” said Mashaba. “They defend in numbers. They attack in numbers.
“The good things is the kind of nippy football we played dismantled them. Our boys were very good in combinations, though the problem of finishing up was still there today.
“It was a good thing that we managed to score two goals and we managed to win the game. I think going forward to our next game, this was a good preparation match. It gave us, more or less, an idea of what to expect, not in terms of skills, but in terms of attacking football.”
After Bafana Bafana’s three-match goalless streak, Mashaba said the fact that the team managed two goals will help to instill a measure of self-belief in the ranks.
“The boys did not lose hope, they gave their all today. Having not won for the past many games did not make the players drop their heads, but they kept on grinding and that is why today they were able to come out with a win.
“The victory was what we were looking for and it came at the right time. What pleased me more with our play was when we were going forward. When players get to that (penalty) area they start thinking what happens if I miss, and unfortunately in that area you need to make a split decision, you have to act now or you have lost it.”
Mashaba lamented the fact that the Bournemouth-based striker Tokelo Rantie was not available for the match.
“Playing without a player like Rantie in our team causes problems upfront. Rantie creates, he assists and creates chances for himself and when he plays, there is no defender that is comfortable,” said Mashaba.
“So imagine if you have three Rantie’s in your team: you can prepare to play three strikers and three midfielders, because it says to the opposition: you will need more numbers in your defence. Where do you (opposition) get them? They will draw from their midfield or somewhere else, which gives us the space to go forward.”
The matter of grooming strikers at national level is not a job for a national team coach, nor can he be expected to solve the problem.
“A coach that comes to you at national level and says I’ve got a solution for scoring goals will not be telling you the truth,” he said. “It’s not only the national teams that are complaining about the lack of goals; it’s in the PSL and the NFD – that’s where the problem should be addressed. But even there it is a little bit late, you have to go further down to work with those things.
“In the national team, [the problem] will always be there, until you get a striker born with striking qualities. Then he will score goals for you, and you won’t have problems.” - ANA