Johannesburg - Speaking ahead of South Africa's 2018 World Cup qualification match against Angola in Durban on Tuesday, Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has revealed how he turns criticism into positives.
South Africa go into Tuesday's second leg qualifying game against Angola at the Moses Mabhida Stadium with a 3-1 first leg advantage after their victory last Friday afternoon, in Benguela, Angola.
But while South Africa find themselves in a strong position and with a good chance of making it through to the group phase of the qualifiers, it has not always been plain-sailing for the national team coach, who for example, recently found himself under fire after Bafana lost to minnows Mauritania in the African Nations Cup qualifiers.
“I want them (the critics) to sit on my back and I don't want them to jump off please,” said Mashaba.
“Because the weight that they're putting on, it keeps me on my toes, because I'm also saying 'I've got to feed them, these monkeys' and how to feed them? Deliver, that's all. Feed them by delivering.”
While Andile Jali will miss Tuesday's match in Durban following a red card in the 3-1 win, Mashaba says he is unlikely to make too many changes to his side.
“We might make one or two changes on Tuesday, but we don't want to make big changes because I know I lot of people will say 'no, you are 3-1 up and why don't you go for changes?' It's not about giving people a chance, it's about keeping consistency in performance,” said Mashaba.
“Make more changes and you are breaking the momentum of the team, so we will only try to make changes here and there.” - African News Agency (ANA)