What a pleasure to see a confident, happy and ruthless Bafana Bafana in action over the weekend as they celebrated their first competitive fixture under coach Carlos Alberto Parreira with a resounding 3-0 victory over Chad in an African Nations Cup qualifier in Ndjamena.
Chad may be one of the minnows of the competition — and, to be honest, nothing short of victory would have been good enough — but there was a spring in the step of the South African players that we had not seen since the early part of former coach Stuart Baxter’s reign in 2004.
Playing a game in heat of 42 degrees Celsius in front of a hostile crowd on an atrocious pitch that was not conducive to playing good football, the Bafana of the past few years might have wilted.
So, it was pleasing that, despite the conditions being far removed from what they are used to, Bafana looked from the first minute to the last as though this game meant the world to them.
And I put that down to only one man — Parreira. It is fair to say that apart from a few minor tactical changes, he has not had enough time to work fully with the squad on improving their overall game. It can only be his actual presence that has brought about the change in attitude.
The word from the players is that they are desperate to impress the new coach, and desperate to be part of a set-up run by a man of Parreira’s standing in world football.
There was nothing groundbreaking in his team selection; it was quite conservative, in fact, with a five-man midfield, one up-front and a ball winner in front of the back four. They used width well with the excellent Delron Buckley on the left and the industrious Steven Pienaar on the right, but otherwise it was the sheer effort and attitude of the players that was most impressive.
We have always known we have a talented pool of players in this country, which is why the recent troubles for the national side have been so frustrating for supporters. Parreira has come in and immediately shown that he can lift the spirit in the camp and improve the work rate of the players.
But one swallow does not a summer make, and the Brazilian will be acutely aware that he needs to put together a string of good results to win over a public more obsessed with what he earns than with what he brings to the table as a coach.
The friendly encounter with Bolivia on Wednesday night should not be used as a yardstick, however, as it comes on the back of what will have been a physically demanding trip to Chad — and with most of the squad probably already thinking about their respective club matches at the weekend as the season, locally and abroad, enters a crucial stage.
Parreira will want a good performance from his team, of that there is no doubt, but the result is of little significance. South Africans need to get their heads around the fact that friendly internationals are just that — a low-key chance for a squad to work on combinations and tactics, with no points at stake and little pressure.
Nick Said is editor: special projects for Kick Off magazine