Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba says the matter of the national side’s goal drought is beyond his control.
The national team has now played three matches without scoring and there are fears that the lack of fire power up front could be the case again when Bafana Bafana host Angola in an international friendly at the Cape Town Stadium, Green Point, today (kick-off 3pm).
The match will be co-hosted by Safa and the City of Cape Town to highlight Youth Day celebrations and place the Mother City in the pan-African spotlight.
Speaking to the media after yesterday morning’s training session at the match venue, Mashaba said that when the national team is in camp there is no capacity to work on “the basics of the game” because most of the time was spent on “technical matters”. He said the first day or two of a camp was usually a time for the squad to arrive, and on the remaining two days players will work on the game plan for the match.
“There is no time, at national level, to work on the basics of the game, no chance,” said Mashaba. “It’s something that’s done at club level and as for strikers not scoring goals, it’s not something I want to say too much about because I won’t tramp on the toes of the clubs, they are our suppliers after all.
“The matter of scoring does not only rest with the strikers. When we look at football across the globe, goals are also scored by midfielders and even defenders. We need to be one step ahead and in keeping with modern times.”
In past encounters, South Africa have never lost to Angola, who are known as Palancas Negras (Sable Antelopes) to their fans. In seven meetings, SA have won four and drew three. Several of those goals against Palancas Negras were scored by Cape Town-born strikers Mark Williams and Benni McCarthy, so playing in the Mother City may be a good omen for Bafana Bafana.
Unlike Bafana, who were held to a goalless draw against Gambia on Saturday, Angola will arrive in Cape Town on the back of a 4-0 home win over the Central Africa Republic on Saturday, in an Afcon Group B first-round qualifying match.
The four-goal victory has not escaped Mashaba’s attention: “We know what kind of competition to expect from them. They’re very tough, quick going forward and they push up all the time.”
Mashaba said he was encouraged by the performance at training where the strikers seemed to be at the top of their game. He hoped that they would carry this form into the match so that it could put smiles on the faces of Bafana fans in the Mother City.
“The game is important to try and bring smiles to our people’s faces. We can only hope that they will come and support the team, because the boys really need the support,” said Mashaba.”
“It’s most unfortunate sometimes when people get really discouraged when results do not come the way they want them to.”
According to Mashaba, there won’t be a lack of confidence in the ranks. “We have dealt with the game that we played against Gambia; that is now history. We’ve spoken to the players and, as you have seen them in training, they were alright. They showed some willingness. “In terms of the mood; it’s okay. Everyone is vibrant.”
Good news from the Bafana Bafana camp is that Orlando Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa could be fit to play. – ANA