Broos To Continue The Search For ‘Better’ Players For Bafana

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says he’s pleased with the core group but will continue searching for ‘better’ players in preparation for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana are one of seven teams who have already secured qualification to the biennial event set to take place in Ivory Coast in January after the 2-1 win over Liberia in Monrovia.

They managed to secure a ticket with Morocco from Group K, overcoming a hostile atmosphere away from home, with left the Belgian pleased with their mental strength after self-inflicted pressure after throwing away a two-goal lead in Orlando last Friday.

“I’m very happy we qualified, it was a very tough game, the boys did a very good performance and the changes we made were a success,” Broos said upon his arrival at OR Tambo on Wednesday evening.

“So the most important thing was to qualify, it was tough, Liberia believed [they could win] after the 2-2 here, but we showed confidence, the team, and conviction, they wanted to win.

“The way they played, the way they fought for it, I was very happy with the performance.”

There’s been question marks surrounding some of his team selections and call-ups since his arrival and Broos himself even questioned the quality of players at some point. But he’s now stated that the current crop is the best he’s worked with since his appointment.

“The most important thing for me, last September, I had the team I wanted, I had the guys I wanted with the mentality I wanted,” he said about the last few months with the squad.

“We played four friendly games, and they were all good, so that was the sign to continue with this group and believe in it – you saw what they did now.

“You saw [at Orlando Stadium], normally we would win this with two or three goals difference but it was a draw that brings you to a situation where pressure is very high, very high for me too, but the boys did well.

“They knew what they had to do, they did it on the pitch and for me now, it’s normal, it’s clear that I go on with this [core] group and we will also continue looking for players, better players – if we find them.

“But I give all my confidence to this group and we’ll try to increase the level [of compettiveness], therefore the next games are very important [before AFCON], not only against Morocco but the games in September, October, and November so we have a good preparation for AFCON next year.”