South African football legend Doctor Khumalo has explained why Bafana Bafana’s playing style continues to trouble many African nations.
Hugo Broos’ troops have made significant improvement in recent years, highlighted by a bronze medal finish at the last AFCON tournament.
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As the new AFCON edition has gotten underway in Morocco, they are looking to go a step further in the competition.
Khumalo believes their strength lies in their ability to build play patiently from the back through to the forwards.
According to him, many opponents struggle tactically, failing to apply effective high pressure, mid-block, or low-block systems. As a result, teams often sit back and wait, but Broos’ side still finds ways to break them down.
“From what I’ve picked up when we speak with legends around Africa, the continent, they talk about the improvement of Bafana,” said Khumalo on 10bet Podcast.
“What frustrates a lot of countries is this thing of tiki taka playing style and knocking the ball. The other countries play one, two and send long balls – that’s a European style.
“But our players start from [Ronwen] Williams, building up the play and it frustrates a lot of countries because they don’t know whether to press high, do a low block or a middle block.
“If you press high, Ronwen plays it to Teboho [Mokoena] in the middle and already the opponents are running.
“That’s why teams say rather have it and we wait on the other side. But when you do that, I saw this from [Mamelodi] Sundowns players, they play to a marked player so that the person who’s behind will move and the ball is then played to the other player who’s now free, then they are able to find [Lyle] Foster or [Evidence] Makgopa.
“So, that’s one thing that Africa is concerned about, the keeping of possession.”
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