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Shakes Mashaba has no place to hide.
With four matches left in the qualifiers – two home and two away – Bafana have it all to do to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon alive.
And with a World Cup qualifier against Angola coming soon, Mashaba should get his act together rather than pick fights with the media. Failure to qualify for the next round of the 2018 World Cup could spell disaster for him.
A year is a long time in coaching and Mashaba will be aware of that. Almost 12 months ago, he was named coach of the year at the SA Sports Awards. Many thought things would get even rosier for him.
But one point out of a possible six has left Bafana languishing at the bottom of Group M, with criticism levelled at Mashaba for his selection policy. And recent results have not gone his way either.
The fact is, Bafana last won a competitive match in November against Sudan. What followed has been the disastrous 2015 Afcon finals in Equatorial Guinea, a draw against Gambia and last week’s shock 3-1 defeat to Mauritania in the 2017 Afcon qualifiers.
Tips for Mashaba:
Selection criteria
His choices have come under the microscope. He seems to be too loyal to some players, irrespective of whether they play regularly at their clubs or not. This has come back to haunt him, as some players have not stepped up to the plate. For example, Mashaba persisted with Bongani Ndulula, despite his loss of form at club level.
Experience counts
The selection of left back Siyabonga Zulu from Platinum Stars ahead of Sibusiso Khumalo raised eyebrows. The inexperienced Zulu was then thrown in the deep end and found wanting against Mauritania, until he was sent off for an early shower.
Granted, Mashaba got it right with Rivaldo Coetzee, but that doesn’t mean he’ll succeed every time. He has discarded too many experienced players too quickly.
Armband rotation
Mashaba has often said there wouldn’t be only one captain, and he has stuck to that sentiment – there have been nine captains since last September. He has always maintained he wanted to create leaders in the team, but the sooner he decides the better. There may be 10 leaders on the field, but there can only be one captain.
He seems to have changed his mind on goalkeeper rotation, as he did in Equatorial Guinea.
Bafana is not a development ground
Vision 2022 should be left to junior teams rather than throwing players into the Bafana deep end too quickly. Players should come through the ranks, unless they are exceptional and ready to don the country’s team colours. Bafana are there to win and make the nation proud, a point Mashaba seems to miss.
Do proper homework
It was surprising to hear Mashaba say Mauritania should worry more about Bafana and not the other way round. The team had a rude awakening when they arrived in Nouakchott to realise they would be playing on an artificial pitch – something they should have been aware of. Thorough planning and knowing your opponent is key in modern football. With so much technology at our disposal, it should not be difficult for Mashaba and his technical team to do their homework and prepare properly.
Beef up the technical team
Take nothing away from Thabo Senong, but he is still learning the ropes and Mashaba could do with an experienced campaigner on the bench. With Owen Da Gama in charge of the national Under-23s, Mashaba should rope in someone like Roger De Sá, Steve Komphela or Eric Tinkler to bounce ideas off. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s about time he realised he’s not immune to criticism. Time is not on his side for experimenting
