Share

Igesund to build confidence

Johannesburg - New Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says he is trying to cut out the negativity surrounding the squad, beginning with a confidence building campaign.

The 55-year-old left his post at Moroka Swallows to take up the national team reins at the end of last month, but inherited a side in complete disarray following just a single victory in eight months.

That win came under Steve Komphela, who took over as interim coach from the sacked Pitso Mosimane, and four-time PSL title winning tactician Igesund hopes to continue rebuilding the squad ahead of their 2014 Soccer World Cup qualifying campaign.

"We keep reading that we have no goal scorers, that we can't score goals, that we need a new team and we can't do this or that," Igesund told BBC Sport.

"Those are all negative things - we need positive things."

"Our immediate goals are to build confidence in the squad."

On the team's style of play over the last few years, Igesund added: "I think we've just been playing too negatively.

"We have been trying to play the Brazilian way - which has worked for Brazil for many, many years - but we don't have the type of players they have.

"We don't have a wing back, we play without wingers and whenever we win possession, our build-up is too slow to allow our full-backs to get wide and forward. Then our striker was a lone guy.

"It didn't quite work for us and we need to change things - we need to be a lot more offensive and attack-minded."

South Africa will next be in action against Brazil in September, in what will signify the passing of World Cup hosting rights - the former having staged the event in 2010, while the Samba Kings play host to the 2014 spectacular.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 888 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 434 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE