‘Bafana must go for the jugular’

Bafana Bafana need to try to take their qualifier against Libya in Tunisia on Sunday by the scruff of the neck with an aggressive game plan‚ imposing themselves rather than trying to defend‚ national coach Stuart Baxter has said.

Second-placed SA (nine points) need a draw from their final Group E qualifier in Sfax to reach Egypt 2019‚ and thirdplaced Libya (seven points) need a win.

Leaders Nigeria‚ on 10 points‚ have qualified.

Playing for a draw can lead to confusion in approach‚ even subliminally. Baxter said he wanted an aggressive approach‚ trying to control the game and leaving as little as possible to chance in Sfax.

“I think we can go there and defend‚ but I don’t think we can go there and park the bus and think we’re going to stay in our own defending zone for 90 minutes‚” the coach said.

“I don’t think that’s the sort of mentality we have; I don’t think it’s the sort of team we have.

“I think the game plan has to be quite aggressive.

“I think it has to be with a great attention to our defending‚ without having that impact negatively on our desire to get at them and at their throat every time we can.

“It’s also a difficult one to answer because you don’t know how Libya are thinking.

“They may be thinking‚ ‘Well‚ for goodness’ sake‚ don’t go all gung-ho in the first halfhour so that they [Bafana] turn us [Libya] over and score. So should we build into it?’

“Or‚ should they be very emotional and come flying at us?

“We’ve got to have a game plan for no matter what they do. And I think we can.”

SA have been based in the capital Tunis since Sunday‚ and will train there until Thursday‚ when they will take a 270km bus trip to Sfax. –