Baxter: Six points against Cape Verde will be huge for us
JOHANNESBURG: Buoyant following the historic 2-0 win over Nigeria two months ago in the opening qualifier for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter named a quality side he expects to be just as clinical in another all-important fixture next week.
Bafana face Cape Verde on 1 September in the first of two 2018 World Cup qualifiers– first at the Estadio Nacional Stadium in Praia and then in Durban against the same team four days later – and the coach was at great pains to remind all of the national team’s poor record against “so-called minors”.
The Blue Sharks are seen as the whipping boys of Group D, which also includes Burkina Faso and Senegal, having already suffered back-to-back defeats in their two opening qualifiers.
“The top nations are always more stimulating to play against,” said Baxter shortly after naming his 25-man squad that will assemble on Sunday.
“The truth is we have not been very good against the so-called minors. We can do well against Nigeria, but we can’t beat a side like Mauritania.
“We can’t take this for granted with our previous history, let alone the fact that we are playing a Cape Verde side with players from Portugal and they’re in their own backyard.”
The history Baxter refers to reared its ugly head during his predecessor Shakes Mashaba’s tenure, when Bafana failed to brush aside Gambia and Mauritania in crucial qualifiers for Afcon in Gabon earlier this year.
The national team were held to a shock, goalless draw in their opening match against the Scorpions in 2015 and followed that up by getting thumped 3-1 by Mauritania in what is now famously termed the “Nouakchott Debacle”, where Bafana arrived in the capital city and Mashaba, his technical staff, as well as the players, had no sort of intelligence or analysis on their opposition.
“We said we wanted warriors going to Nigeria (where Bafana won for the first time ever in a qualifying match). We will need warriors here, too. A steely mentality to get the three points so that when we come back to Durban, we’re able to open them up a little bit more,” Baxter said.
“The truth is that you don’t get easy games anymore, so we need to be humble as we have not been good in these sort of matches. We know that the six points will be huge for us.”
The venue for this away qualifier will be played on an artificial pitch and Baxter said his squad had included a lot of players that would be well suited to that type of surface, especially his midfielders and strike-force.
He’s made four changes to the team that caused an upset in Uyo, Nigeria, with Morgan Gould, Thulani Serero, Daylon Claasen and Bradley Grobler replacing Lorenzo Gordinho, the injured Aubrey Ngoma, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Thamsanqa Gabuza.
Gould returns to the Bafana set-up after four years and his inclusion, which raised eyebrows because he is 34-yearsold, is motivated by the need for an experienced head in the dressing-room, Baxter explained.
“The selection reflects very clearly that we will play on an artificial pitch,” the coach explained.
“Look at the omission and inclusion of certain players – these guys are more suited to that type of surface. Bradley links play and we haven’t gone for extreme target play.”
“We want tighter ball control and mobility. Daylon has been out for a while, but from his time in Germany he understands counter-attack pressing play.
“He can play as a No 10 or the role that (Themba) Zwane has been playing.
“Part of the rational is that we are playing on this sort of turf, so we went for guys that deliver a performance on that kind of pitch and can do a job for us.”
Bafana are second in Group D of the World Cup qualifiers after a 1-1 draw away to Burkina Faso and a controversial 2-1 victory at home against Senegal last year.