After Bafana Bafana were beaten 1-0 by Ivory Coast on Monday, snl24.com/kickoff looks at what they need to improve on in their second Africa Cup of Nations Group D match, against Namibia.
Game plan
For their game against Ivory Coast, Bafana did not seem to have a plan, or rather a plan that worked. Whenever they were in possession of the ball, they were no threat whatsoever to the Ivorians. When they take on Namibia tonight, Bafana will need to have a plan to overcome their Southern African rivals.
Use Percy Tau
Tau is arguably the best player in the Bafana team. When he is on song, Bafana have a good chance of winning. Against Ivory Coast he was not himself and there was little service to him upfront, which caused him to search for the ball in midfield, which totally did not work at all. Bafana need to get the ball to Tau as much as possible, so that he can take on the Namibian defence and have more shots at goal.
Wing play
Going through the middle and breaking down the opposition defence does not always work, so Bafana should probably look at using the wings at bit more, which means head coach Stuart Baxter will need to use a player like Thembinkosi Lorch, who can whip crosses into the box. The full backs will also need to get more a bit more to play the ball into dangerous areas in the box.
Use possession
To many people's surprise, Bafana had 52 percent of the possession by the end of the game against Ivory Coast. This, however, did very little in getting them to win the game. The midfielders need to hold onto the ball a lot more, unlike they did when they gave it away against the Ivorians. By holding onto the ball and passing it out around with ease, Bafana have a good chance of frustrating and opening up the Namibian defence.