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Johannesburg - It will only be a matter of time before Bafana Bafana get back to their winnings ways.
That was the optimistic view from tough-as-nails central defender Morgan Gould, as the national squad prepare to play Japan in a crunch friendly international at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Kick-off is at 15:30.
Bafana then travel to Bloemfontein where they play Jamaica at the Free State Stadium next Tuesday night.
Gould, 26, is one of the rising stars in the Premier Soccer League and has two PSL championship winner's medals under his belt with his club SuperSport United. He has also scored a couple of vital goals from set pieces for the PSL champions.
He hopes to continue his outstanding club form for Bafana if he gets the nod to play for new head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.
It is Brazilian Parreira's return from a 17 month absence that has inspired Gould. Parreira replaced the out of touch Joel Santana last month.
Said Gould: "Having a world class coach like Parreira is a massive boost for the team and I think he will do a whole lot of good for Bafana."
Gould said Bafana would turn over a new leaf after their recent string of poor results.
"I know we have lost eight of our last nine matches, but we will get the results. Something has got to give and I have a good feeling that we will turn the corner during the next two matches."
But he could not put his finger on what went wrong under Santana after finishing as semi-finalists in the Confederations Cup in June.
"I just do not know where we went wrong. We did lose to some top sides that were better prepared than us, but I think from now on we will get our feet back on the ground."
He admitted it was important to beat Japan: "We are basically starting from scratch. We need the fans' support but they must not give up on us if we lose.
"They must show patience. I can promise you the players are determined to bounce back."
He said Japan did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup for nothing. "They are a quality side, have some really quick players and will be a big test for us."
