In a recent interview, Tso Vilakazi, a former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates midfielder, shared his thoughts on Bafana Bafana’s performance against Liberia and the decisions made by their coach, Hugo Broos. Tso began by praising the team’s performance in the first half, where they demonstrated an exciting brand of football, creating chances and scoring goals.
However, he expressed concern about the team’s failure to capitalize on those chances and manage the game in the second half.Tso highlighted the importance of managing the game effectively, especially when a team is leading. He emphasized that when a man is down, you must kick him, as you never know what might happen when he gets up. Tso pointed out that Liberia introduced attacking players, and Bafana Bafana failed to manage the game by introducing a defensive midfielder. He believed that Broos made a significant mistake by taking out Themba Zwane, who was making the team tick, and introducing defensive midfielder Yaya Sithole, which disrupted the team’s flow.
Zwane was the perfect link for Percy Tau and Hlongwane, who both missed several chances. Tso suggested that Broos should have taken Tau out and saved him as he was missing too many chances. Broos wanted to implement transactions, but it did not work, and the team failed to create chances and score goals.Tso’s analysis of the match against Liberia demonstrated his deep understanding of football tactics and strategy. He emphasized the importance of the coach making decisions that benefit the team, even if they are not popular. Tso’s opinion was that the coach should have trusted the players that were performing well in the first half and allowed them to continue playing their attacking brand of football.