After Bafana Bafana’s 4-1 ”roasting in Reykjavic” against Iceland, coach Stuart Baxter on Friday announced he was left with three options to lift spirits and form before next month’s critical away World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso.
”I’ve either got to look at a complete shake-up in the personnel of the squad,” he revealed, ”seek to motivate the players to a higher level for what is clearly one of the most important games they will have to face in their careers, or look to a pretty radical change in tactics.”
But being level-headed and professional even when under extreme fire -and being Bafana’s coach in South Africa this means almost all the time -it is unlikely any wholesale and panicky changes will materialise.
”What we have to take into account,” explained the Bafana coach, ”is the limited time at our disposal. Also, a good player remains a good player, notwithstanding the fact he might have a bad game.
”And,” added Baxter, ”If a player cannot be sufficiently motivated with so much at stake in Burkina Faso, he’s never going to be motivated.”
The immediate and urgent concern of the Bafana coach, therefore, is to determine which of the injured frontline players will be fit for the World Cup qualifier, which Bafana dare not lose.
And adding to the cardinal concern surrounding captain Aaron Mokoena, who was injured against Iceland, are reports that Benni McCarthy is out of Porto’s opening game of the new Portuguese season over the week-end because of a muscle strain incurred in Reykjavic.
Baxter has also instructed the Bafana medical staff to report urgently on the condition of Shaun Bartlett, Quinton Fortune, Bradley Carnell and Thabiso Rammile, who all missed the Iceland game because of a variety of injuries.
But whichever option Baxter deems is best to tackle Burkina Faso, the plan to train for a couple of days in Germany before the game remains intact.
”It makes sense,” said the Bafana coach, ”because so many of the players are based in Europe. Also, surprisingly, it is easier to travel to Burkina Faso from Germany than from South Africa.”
Bafana will, therefore, spend two or three days in Germany and two days in Burkina Faso before the fateful day on which South Africa’s World Cup qualification will hang in the balance. – Sapa