The second-leg match against Lesotho gives coach Trott Moloto a rare chance to experiment with his squad
Andrew Muchineripi
It might seem odd to suggest Bafana Bafana coach Trott Moloto faces a difficult mission on Saturday, given that South Africa are two goals ahead of Lesotho and have home advantage entering the second leg of a World Cup eliminator.
But two headaches – one regarding selection and the other motivation – are sure to develop in the mind of a national coach under heavy media pressure to produce victories.
Does Moloto change the starting line-up that laid the foundations for a 2-0 first-leg triumph before 30 000 spectators shoehorned into the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru two weeks ago?
And how does he persuade players who are convinced the tie is over as a contest that it is not over as a contest, and that they must respect a team South Africans know are inferior in every department.
Of course the only certainty in football is uncertainty, but I am prepared to bet my entire herd of plump cattle that South Africa will triumph at the Free State Stadium, and triumph convincingly.
The match is unusual in that it offers Moloto probably his only chance to experiment in the World Cup qualifying campaign, because the opposition in the mini-league second phase promises to be much tougher.
We now know John Tlale is an extremely reliable understudy to Andre Arendse and Hans Vonk; indeed I would rate him ahead of the latter, who has the unfortunate habit of not being able to keep clean sheets.
We also know that out-of-favour Brian Baloyi is an excellent shot stopper, but inclined toward over-elaboration, uncomfortable in dealing decisively with quality crosses and often a poor distributor of the ball.
So what better time to give Tlale’s understudy, Simon Gopane, another chance? He did nothing wrong in the 4-1 African Cup of Nations victory over Namibia two years ago – and he hails from Bloemfontein.
Moloto caught many napping, including this humble member of the Muchineripi clan, by finally switching to a 4-4-2 system, and it certainly gave an added feeling of solidity at the back.
Cyril Nzama was a revelation at right- back on his international debut and my sole concern regarding the Bush Bucks player is that he came into the squad only when Aaron Mokoena was unavailable.
Although far too casual at times for my liking, Pierre Issa marshalled the defence well against admittedly poor opposition, and Frank Schoeman and Bradley Carnell can be satisfied with their displays. That leaves Hilton Jordaan and David Kannemeyer on the bench and, if South Africa can establish a tie- clinching lead, it would be desirable to see at least the polished Kannemeyer getting a run at left-back.
Arthur Zwane, Thabo Mngomeni, Dumisa Ngobe and Isaac Shai started in midfield and that they never quite clicked as a unit is borne out by the fact that only Mngomeni lasted the full course of the match.
The changes may have been partly triggered by the desire to experiment, and the departure of Shai offered Jabu Pule the chance to become only the eighth player to score on his Bafana Bafana debut.
It was a giant step up for Zwane from lining up with Premier Soccer League rookies Classic to Bafana Bafana and, taking that into consideration, he had a solid if unspectacular debut. One certainly expected more from him in attack.
Ngobe remains one of the great unfulfilled talents of South African soccer, a midfielder who never seems quite mobile enough and tends to drift in and out of matches. Now you see him, now you don’t.
Much the same could be said of Shai, who certainly possesses the defensive and attacking qualities necessary for the wide midfield role. But how many of his crosses threatened to produce goals? None!
The other midfielders are Godfrey Sapula, a hard man probably surplus to requirements for this match; Pule, who could replace Shai; and Joseph Ngake, who could also replace Shai.
My (very) occasionally accurate sixth sense tells me Moloto will start with the same foursome as in Maseru and, to borrow a rugby phrase, the impact player could be Pule.
There is no need for change up front, where the in-form Siyabonga Nomvete and captain Shaun Bartlett must get the nod ahead of Delron Buckley, who is a midfielder no matter what Moloto might have us believe.
Buckley did come on with seven minutes left in the tiny mountain kingdom but it would be nice to see the German-based player get an extended chance to prove his worth.
Which brings us to the pre-match team talk and how Moloto is going to convince his troops that the battle is not over; that little Lesotho are capable of a miraculous comeback.
The coach needs to set targets and the first one should be to score a record five goals – the best Bafana have managed is four against Namibia in Burkina Faso two years ago and against Gabon at Odi Stadium last year.
Once that “goal” has been fulfilled, they must carry on and score two more without reply to record the biggest winning margin in an African zone World Cup qualifying match.