Soccer
Bartlett praises Parreira
2009-11-17 09:07
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Johannesburg - Former Bafana Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett believes the return of Carlos Alberto Parreira has already had a positive effect on the World Cup hosts.
Saturday's 0-0 draw with Japan marked the end of an abysmal run of eight defeats in nine matches since the 2-0 victory over New Zealand at the Confederations Cup.
And Bartlett, who scored 24 goals in his 10 year international career, said that there were already signs of improvement in the team under the 1994 World Cup winning coach.
"The biggest difference is that the players understand him when he is shouting instructions," he told
Football 365.co.za.
"That is a vital change from before and the players seem to be comfortable working under him. Parreira is the type of coach that knows exactly what he wants from his team and he will give them a real direction in the next few months."
South Africa face Jamaica on Tuesday in Bloemfontein looking to end a difficult year on a positive note. The visitors may be ranked higher by FIFA at 69th in the world but the pressure will be on for the Brazilian to deliver a much-needed victory. And with that in mind, Bartlett is sure that Parreira will deliver.
He said: "Carlos knows that his reputation is on the line if the team does not do well. I was fortunate enough to play under him in America in 1997 and he's a very analytical coach who expects 100% from his players every match so you can bet they will be fired up for Jamaica."
As for the performance against Japan, Bartlett saw plenty of positive signs but admitted there is still a long way to go before the team can think about a sustained run at next year's World Cup.
"It was an improvement in the sense that we didn't concede any goals and looked like we could go on and win the game," he said.
"Now we need to create a bit more and start putting the ball in the net - the confidence seems to have come back into the side so it's just a matter of getting some good combinations together now and hopefully that will happen."
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