South Africa U23 coach Owen da Gama will look to strengthen his defence when his three overage players are added to the team for the Olympics.
Da Gama took the Bafana Bafana team that is made up of mostly his U23 players who are bound for the Rio Olympics in August through their paces at a freezing Nike Soccer Centre in Pimville‚ Soweto yesterday ahead of their participation in the Cosafa Cup in Namibia.
Bafana face the winners of Group B – currently led by Lesotho and Malawi after one round of matches – in their Cosafa quarterfinal at Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday.
Da Gama said‚ with the U23s having shown defensive frailties in the past‚ that is the area he will aim to strengthen once the three overage players allowed at the Olympic men’s football tournament are added.
“I think when it comes to players like Reyaad Pieterse and the overaged players‚ you’ve seen it‚ that we score. Against any team – even against Brazil‚” said Da Gama.
“But the problem is that we concede. And we’re trying a lot of combinations.
“So there’s no doubt about it‚ it will be from the back. We’d like somebody to push Jody at goalkeeper – there are options there.
“Rivaldo will be there. We’d like to strengthen in that situation as well.
“The spine of the team is important‚ but from the back because we believe we can score against any team.”
The young South African side created opportunities almost at will in December’s qualifying tournament for Rio‚ the Caf U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal in December‚ but conceded chances with almost the same frequency.
They managed to score in a friendly against the Olympic hosts in Brazil in March‚ but lost 3-1.
SuperSport United’s new goalkeeper signing from Kaizer Chiefs Pieterse has been included in the current Bafana squad with a view to pushing February between the posts as a prospective over-23 player for Rio.
Bafana trained in temperatures below 10°C on the artificial surface at Nike Centre‚ in preparation for their quarterfinals clash on Saturday on a synthetic pitch.
“Remember these are possible future Bafana players. So they’ve got to toughen up and understand that no matter what the conditions are‚ and if we have to play a match in conditions like this‚ they’ve got to be ready‚” said Da Gama.
“This is the beginning of something very special for South African football.
“We don’t say this is the ultimate team‚ but it’s a first step.
“If I could cap 60 U23 players I’d love that because then we’d be able to see as many players as possible.”
South Africa leave for Namibia tomorrow. The team will be jointly coached by Da Gama and Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba.
Da Gama to plug gaps in his backline
Da Gama took the Bafana Bafana team that is made up of mostly his U23 players who are bound for the Rio Olympics in August through their paces at a freezing Nike Soccer Centre in Pimville‚ Soweto yesterday ahead of their participation in the Cosafa Cup in Namibia.
Bafana face the winners of Group B – currently led by Lesotho and Malawi after one round of matches – in their Cosafa quarterfinal at Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday.
Da Gama said‚ with the U23s having shown defensive frailties in the past‚ that is the area he will aim to strengthen once the three overage players allowed at the Olympic men’s football tournament are added.
“I think when it comes to players like Reyaad Pieterse and the overaged players‚ you’ve seen it‚ that we score. Against any team – even against Brazil‚” said Da Gama.
“But the problem is that we concede. And we’re trying a lot of combinations.
“So there’s no doubt about it‚ it will be from the back. We’d like somebody to push Jody at goalkeeper – there are options there.
“Rivaldo will be there. We’d like to strengthen in that situation as well.
“The spine of the team is important‚ but from the back because we believe we can score against any team.”
The young South African side created opportunities almost at will in December’s qualifying tournament for Rio‚ the Caf U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal in December‚ but conceded chances with almost the same frequency.
They managed to score in a friendly against the Olympic hosts in Brazil in March‚ but lost 3-1.
SuperSport United’s new goalkeeper signing from Kaizer Chiefs Pieterse has been included in the current Bafana squad with a view to pushing February between the posts as a prospective over-23 player for Rio.
Bafana trained in temperatures below 10°C on the artificial surface at Nike Centre‚ in preparation for their quarterfinals clash on Saturday on a synthetic pitch.
“Remember these are possible future Bafana players. So they’ve got to toughen up and understand that no matter what the conditions are‚ and if we have to play a match in conditions like this‚ they’ve got to be ready‚” said Da Gama.
“This is the beginning of something very special for South African football.
“We don’t say this is the ultimate team‚ but it’s a first step.
“If I could cap 60 U23 players I’d love that because then we’d be able to see as many players as possible.”
South Africa leave for Namibia tomorrow. The team will be jointly coached by Da Gama and Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba.
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