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Johannesburg - South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has said that he has not set a target for his team to reach at the Soccer World Cup, but that he'd rather they let their own performance against Mexico inspire them.
Despite this, Parreira is very aware that the country's soccer supporters would be hugely disappointed if the team were to fail to make it out of the group stage.
"This morning I woke up at five o'clock," Parreira said. "I'm not stressed, I'm not panicked, but there is tension, I know the whole country is behind us. The whole country is expecting my team to deliver, but I've never told my players they have to reach the next round."
"They have to believe in themselves, to believe in the quality they have - like they did in the second half (against Mexico). Apparently I look calm but inside I'm worried."
Without making light of the quality of the opposition his team will face on Wednesday night, Parreira feels that in the first game his team could not help but feel nervous, and their performance would have settled them.
"I believe the most difficult game for us was the first one," Parreira said. "The whole world was watching and the pressure was there. After we played the first game we felt more confident, even though we are now playing against a very good team like Uruguay, who have lots of players playing for the big teams in Europe. They have a lot of experience."
Parreira rightly identified Wednesday night's encounter as a crunch match, owing to the fact that all the teams in South Africa's group, group A, are level on points.
"Now it's going an open game for us and for them because it's so tight. Those teams who want to qualify have to win at least one of the two games,'' Parreira said. "It's very clear for everyone - for us, for France, for Mexico, for Uruguay.
"We've got to win one of the two games left or else it's going to be very difficult to qualify. Whoever wins on Thursday isn't guaranteed to go through. These two draws leave the competition open to the final round."
Despite this, Parreira is very aware that the country's soccer supporters would be hugely disappointed if the team were to fail to make it out of the group stage.
"This morning I woke up at five o'clock," Parreira said. "I'm not stressed, I'm not panicked, but there is tension, I know the whole country is behind us. The whole country is expecting my team to deliver, but I've never told my players they have to reach the next round."
"They have to believe in themselves, to believe in the quality they have - like they did in the second half (against Mexico). Apparently I look calm but inside I'm worried."
Without making light of the quality of the opposition his team will face on Wednesday night, Parreira feels that in the first game his team could not help but feel nervous, and their performance would have settled them.
"I believe the most difficult game for us was the first one," Parreira said. "The whole world was watching and the pressure was there. After we played the first game we felt more confident, even though we are now playing against a very good team like Uruguay, who have lots of players playing for the big teams in Europe. They have a lot of experience."
Parreira rightly identified Wednesday night's encounter as a crunch match, owing to the fact that all the teams in South Africa's group, group A, are level on points.
"Now it's going an open game for us and for them because it's so tight. Those teams who want to qualify have to win at least one of the two games,'' Parreira said. "It's very clear for everyone - for us, for France, for Mexico, for Uruguay.
"We've got to win one of the two games left or else it's going to be very difficult to qualify. Whoever wins on Thursday isn't guaranteed to go through. These two draws leave the competition open to the final round."
