Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says everyone should not underestimate the route he is taking by playing nations that are considered less competitive.
Broos said what is important at this moment in time is to gain confidence as he casts his eyes on the bigger picture – the two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Liberia home and away next year in March.
Bafana have won the last three friendly matches, beating Sierra Leone 4-0, Botswana 1-0 – all in September break.
On Thursday at Mbombela Stadium, they came from behind to beat Mozambique 2-1 and next face Angola at the same venue on Sunday (3pm).
However, these nations, such as Leone Stars who have lost their last five matches, crashed out in the group stages in the AFCON earlier this month in Cameroon, scoring just one goal and losing all matches.
Botswana is also not in better shape either, having not won in seven matches now and also last qualified for AFCON in 2012.
Mozambique, who just like the rest has not qualified for the World Cup and last participated in the AFCON in 2010, have not won in the last three matches.
It looks like it will be another easy passage for Bafana against Angola, who beat Bafana in CHAN qualifiers recently, although that was the fringe Bafana side.
But Broos feels these nations will give him the best preparations come next year’s AFCON qualifiers against Liberia.
“The opponents, I think I said it before a few months ago, we will now choose opponents of less level than France, than Morocco and than Ghana,” Broos said at a press conference.
Bafana were humiliated 5-0 by France in March in the friendly match, and also lost to Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers in controversial circumstances in November last year. With Morocco, they lost to them 2-1 in the opening group stage AFCON qualifiers in June.
“These teams we played against and we had problems and certainly against France. I said it already in the past, it was not fair – to be playing Ghana who is going to the World Cup, Morocco who is going to the World Cup, and France who are the world champions.
– Advertisement –
“But for us we are building a team. We could have beaten Ghana in Ghana, it was not fair (to lose).”
Previously, Broos said he wants Bafana to play against top nations, but he has been given harsh lessons in those matches, with France being the prime example in crushing Bafana.
“I changed my mind and I said ‘okay, now we are going to play against opponents who are good but not the top and we will try to win’,” he added.
“That was important by winning, and you get confidence. So this is the way that I tried to work now in the past months and I think we have achieved our goal, and this team is winning.”
