Cape Town - South Africa failed to progress beyond the the group stage at the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 tournament. Here, Independent News and Media football writer John Goliath, who covered Bafana Bafana’s campaign, runs the rule over the squad.
Goalkeepers
Goodness knows why coach Shakes Mashaba had to play all three goalkeepers during the group stages as part of a “rotational strategy”. Not one of those shot-stoppers came out of this tournament with their reputation enhanced as Darren Keet, Jackson Mabokgwane and Brilliant Khuzwayo didn’t take the chance they got to impress.
Keet took a lot of stick after the first match, but he only really made one blunder when he let Algeria’s third goal roll under his body. Mabokgwane was the wrong choice against the Senegalese, as he is smaller than the other two goalkeepers in the squad. The Black Aces man could have come out and punched the free kick which led to the Senegal goal.
There wasn’t much Khuzwayo could do about Ghana’s goals on Tuesday night.
He made a few good punches, but also didn’t put in the type of performance that is going to inspire confidence for the future. But it was kind of hard for all three goalkeepers to try and cement a place when they only had one shot at the crown.
Mark: 40%
Defenders
Injuries were the main issue as Bafana lost two central defenders in the first 30 minutes of their matches against Algeria and Senegal. Rivaldo Coetzee’s knee injury was a massive blow in the first match, while South Africa missed Thulani Hlatshwayo’s physicality against Senegal. Bafana also started the tournament without their premier centre back Eric Mathoho, who was suspended.
The defenders were let off the hook a bit in the first match, as the focus was squarely on the performances of Keet and their misfiring teammates upfront. Hlatshwayo was a little bit unlucky with his own goal against Algeria, although there could have been better communication between him and Keet.
But nobody closed down the Algerian striker for the first goal, and substitute right back Siyabonga Nhlapho was out of position when the third goal was scored.
In the match against Senegal, none of the defenders picked up Senegal’s monster centre back Kara Mbodj, who punished Bafana with a thundering header. The 18-year-old Coetzee put in the best performance by a Bafana defender in the match against Ghana, as he was assured and kept Asamoah Gyan at bay. But the defenders as a unit were not good against Ghana.
Mark: 40%
Midfielders
Bafana’s engine room looked like it was running on fumes in the last few minutes of their final match against Ghana. They cracked under the pressure against the Black Stars when they couldn’t get hold of the ball.
The biggest problem throughout the tournament was that the duo of Andile Jali and Dean Furman didn’t quite produce the form they displayed in the qualifiers. Jali was outstanding against Algeria, while Furman struggled. In the next match against Senegal, the roles were reversed. And both were bad against Ghana.
However, when the midfield fired, they showed that they have the range of passing and movement to worry the opposition. They created some glorious chances for their strikers. Oupa Manyisa was a really good selection on the left, as he ran his socks off and got into a great position for his goal against Senegal. Thuso Phala also worked really hard on the right, and he too took his goal nicely. Mandla Masango’s screamer was also good against Ghana, although he was a passenger for most of the match.
Mark: 60%
Strikers
Not one goal between the strikers, and in the end, that cost Bafana their progression to the quarter-finals. In the first two matches Tokelo Rantie and Sibusiso Vilakazi, who played as a No 10, couldn’t convert the good work of their midfielders.
Rantie was causing all sorts of problems against Algeria, as his pace was too much for them to handle. However, he lacked that composure in front of goal to hammer the ball home. It’s weird, because when he was presented with similar chances in the qualifiers against Nigeria, he buried them. Rantie seems to be trying too hard, but he is putting too much pressure on himself.
Vilakazi was a surprise omission from the last match because he was good in the first two. However, for all his talent, he needs to convert his chances and try and get his shots off sooner when he turns his man.
Bongani Ndulula came in for Vilakazi in the match against Ghana and didn’t offer much. He doesn’t hold the ball up or make runs, and his work-rate is terrible. He was basically a passenger.
Mark: 33%
Cape Times