Baxter backs young squad
South Africa crashed out of the COSAFA Cup after losing a penalty shootout against Madagascar Pirates but coach Stuart Baxter reckons his decision to opt for youth will pay off.
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has backed his decision to pick a youthful squad for the COSAFA Cup as the side head into a Plate semi-final against Namibia today at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. South Africa dominated their cup quarter-final against Madagascar on Sunday, but lost a penalty shoot-out after the match finished 0-0 as Baxter’s young team folded under the pressure.
But Baxter believes the investment he is making in young players now will stand the country in good stead with the 2019 African Nations Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to come in the near future.
“We chose this strategy, to say we would make an investment in international game-time for the players who we believe further down the road can be important players. You just have to continue doing what you believe in,” Baxter said.
Bafana missed two clear one-on-one chances in the game through Luther Singh and Lebohang Maboe and largely contained the Malagasy. But finishing off the chances created remains the national “sickness”.
“I cannot get into the head of a player who is oneon-one with the goalkeeper and put the ball in the back of the net. I don’t know how many times we have said that in South African football,” Baxter says.
“We prepare as well as we can, but the message is an old one, isn’t it? You can dominate the game, but if you don’t score from your chances … if you create chances, miss them, and it goes to penalties and you miss those, then that has got nothing to do with preparation.
“It is not about the players’ lack of experience on the pitch, it is not about getting the ball from our goals to their goals, it is about finishing the job.”
Singh, in particular, received criticism for his poor, casual attempt at a penalty in the shoot-out, but Baxter refused to criticise the Sporting Braga youngster.
“I’ve seen [Roberto] Baggio miss a penalty, I’ve seen [Franco] Baresi miss a penalty, I’ve seen great players miss penalties. I will have a word with him for sure, but it will more be about the chances he missed during the match.
“It is probably invaluable for the three young players, Lyle [Foster], Jamie [Webber] and Luther, to be in that penalty shoot-out representing their country.