Coach calls for courage
BAXTER: THE PLAYERS LOOKED LIKE RABBITS CAUGHT IN THE GLARE OF A CAR’S HEADLIGHTS
Khune to captain the side in the absence of Hlatshwayo.
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter in no magician and cannot pull rabbits out of hats, but he also doesn’t like it when his players look like rabbits caught in the glare of a car’s headlights.
Baxter called for more courage in his players as they prepare for a 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Bafana’s campaign crumbled last month after two back-to-back defeats to Cape Verde. And Fifa made things even worse when they declared that Bafana’s win over Senegal was null and void as the match had to be replayed following a discovery of evidence that referee, Ghanaian Joseph Lamptey, had influenced the result.
As things stand, Bafana’s qualification for Russia 2018 depends on various scenarios, including other team’s results. But Baxter said that his team will switch off all the negative aspects and focus on the job at hand.
“We need courage to block out the negative,” he said. “Against Cape Verde, after conceding on 15 minutes we looked like a rabbit in the headlights, that’s lack of courage. That’s about attitude. We have to have courage to believe and to want to get on the ball and implement the plan,” he added.
He said the last two results have no real influence on how important Saturday’s match is. “Even if we had beaten Cape Verde twice this would still be a massive game. We have no control over scenarios but what we can control is our performances.
“Things have not gone our way with the Fifa issue and also with Cape Verde, which was our own doing. I think Burkina Faso are the best team in the group. They have players who have massive talent. We have to give them the sort of game they don’t want,” said the former Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United mentor.
He said Itumeleng Khune would captain the team on Saturday in the absence of the injured Thulani Hlatshwayo, provided the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper recovers from a minor shoulder problem. As well as Hlatshwayo, Baxter will also be without regulars in Erick Mathoho and Dean Furman, who are both suspended. And there could be further withdrawals as Andile Jali and Bradley Grobler also have injuries that will be monitored.
Baxter, meanwhile, said stringent steps had been taken to ensure that Bafana players’ behaviour is always professional during camp. There was drama in the last camp as players were allegedly involved in a bust-up after some had organised a party following the second loss to Cape Verde in Durban.
“There is now a complete new code of conduct and all players have it. It requires that they be professionals for 24 hours a day. I think it is a good way of labelling what we want from our players,” said Baxter.