Vuvuzela South Africa

Bafana Bafana vs France in Mangaung, Bloemfontein may be one of the most emotional games in the 2010 World Cup for South Africans.

Bafana Bafana vs France Pay Back Time for 3- Loss in 1998

On 12 June 1998 France beat Bafana Bafana 3 -0 at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille in front of a crowd of 55,077. The France goals were scored by Dugarry 34′,Issa 77′ , and Henry 90′. France went on to win the World Cup that year!

Today, in Bloemfontein at the 45 000 seater Free State Stadium Bafana Bafana believe it is pay back time! And they will do so with flags, vuvuzelas and a Bafana Bafana team that they believe might just still pull it off.

World Cup Group A Clashes

The host nation face a crucial World Cup Group A clash in Bloemfontein later today, where they need to win by more than two goals and hope for a winning result in the group’s other fixture which will be played simultaneously between Mexico and Uruguay at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. Kick off for both matches is 16H00.

The impending early exit of the host nation, and the impact on the World Cup, has been overshadowed in the last days by a French player strike over the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka, who refused to apologise for allegedly swearing at his coach.

Bafana World Cup Performance

Bafana’s performance in the two World Cup matches has not been bad, but it has not been that great either. Holding Mexico to a draw in the excitement and intensity of the opening ceremony at Soccer City was  quite a feat, but the fact is that the South African team  has scored one goal in two outings at the 2010 World Cup. Even more worrying is the fact that the team created very little against Uruguay and looked lost for inspiration. They just seemed to be treading water.

Parreira Criticism

Head Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has received more than a share of criticism for his unimaginative 4-2-3-1 formation, an approach that has become the de facto standard for teams as diverse as Germany and the Netherlands., who have attacking midfields to pull off this formation.

But maybe it is not our formation that is wrong, it is the players. Not that the players are not talented. However, remember, Parreira has only has a few months to work with these boys. It all goes back to grassroots football development.

Five Changes in the Bafana Bafana Team

The Bafana coach announced yesterday that he was going to make five changes to the Bafana Bafana team for the match against France. “I’m going to talk to the players tonight (Monday) and announce my changes tomorrow. I have already had training with the team that should play. In all there will be five (changes) including the two that have been red carded and yellow carded.”

Possible Solutions for Bafana Bafana

I have spoken to many experts and loyal supporters and they all seem to agree that Bafana needs at least two strikers up front. We just do not have the right midfield to play with a single striker.”

Bafana need to play an attacking game, maybe with Bernard Parker coming from the midfield while you have Nomvete and Mphela as outright strikers.

This way you can put France’s defence under pressure and they will start making mistakes

But unless we create chances and opportunities, unless Bafana start playing creatively, we will end up with the situation of two players isolated up front. Just throwing in an extra attacker does not resolve the original problem, which is – creating chances. Bafana could find themselves in a situation where instead of one man isolated up front, there will be two.

Khune and Dikgacoi Out on Suspension

Meanwhile all the players have been declared fit and are available for selection except for goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi who are both serving a one-match suspension

Images by Sbu Ndlovu taken at a Bafana Bafana vs Zimbabwe match at Moses Mabhida Stadium Durban

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