BAFANA Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says he has established about 75% of the playing personnel who will form his core squad to work with in the build-up to the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in January.
Igesund has used his first four matches, including this month's friendlies - the 1-0 defeat to Poland in Warsaw on Friday and Tuesday night's 2-1 win against Kenya in Nairobi - to have a close-up look at a number of players.
The Bafana coach says he has a clearer idea now of players who might or might not be able to make the step up to international level - though he's also not ruling anyone out.
"For example, Sifiso Myeni was much better tonight (Tuesday against Kenya) than against Poland. You can't judge a player on one game," Igesund said. "There's been lots of times in these friendlies where I could have been swayed to the safe side. But I was prepared to take whatever criticism I received knowing we have to build for the Afcon."
Igesund said there were four or five players he had not even called up in his first two squads, "for example Daylon Claasen". Five or six players from both squads might not make his next call-up for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against Zambia at Soccer City next month.
The decorated coach said Bafana did well to overcome a bumpy Kenyan pitch.
"What I emphasised to the players was not to look at the pitch as an obstacle because this is what we have to do when we play in Africa."
He said their plan was to defend on the front foot and feed off Kenya's mistakes.
"I said after we trained at the stadium on Monday that we needed to play the percentage game. We had to try and play the ball, but when we got in trouble, don't try and play out of it. Just push it down the channel, play the percentages."
Igesund again said that he expected a big improvement once Bafana had been in a training camp in the weeks before the Afcon. He said he wasn't too concerned with mistakes SA made against Kenya, though he was disappointed with the manner in which Bafana conceded.
"We've got to be so uncompromising that when we score first we know we're going to win," he said.
Igesund has core squad
BAFANA Bafana coach Gordon Igesund says he has established about 75% of the playing personnel who will form his core squad to work with in the build-up to the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in January.
Igesund has used his first four matches, including this month's friendlies - the 1-0 defeat to Poland in Warsaw on Friday and Tuesday night's 2-1 win against Kenya in Nairobi - to have a close-up look at a number of players.
The Bafana coach says he has a clearer idea now of players who might or might not be able to make the step up to international level - though he's also not ruling anyone out.
"For example, Sifiso Myeni was much better tonight (Tuesday against Kenya) than against Poland. You can't judge a player on one game," Igesund said. "There's been lots of times in these friendlies where I could have been swayed to the safe side. But I was prepared to take whatever criticism I received knowing we have to build for the Afcon."
Igesund said there were four or five players he had not even called up in his first two squads, "for example Daylon Claasen". Five or six players from both squads might not make his next call-up for the Nelson Mandela Challenge against Zambia at Soccer City next month.
The decorated coach said Bafana did well to overcome a bumpy Kenyan pitch.
"What I emphasised to the players was not to look at the pitch as an obstacle because this is what we have to do when we play in Africa."
He said their plan was to defend on the front foot and feed off Kenya's mistakes.
"I said after we trained at the stadium on Monday that we needed to play the percentage game. We had to try and play the ball, but when we got in trouble, don't try and play out of it. Just push it down the channel, play the percentages."
Igesund again said that he expected a big improvement once Bafana had been in a training camp in the weeks before the Afcon. He said he wasn't too concerned with mistakes SA made against Kenya, though he was disappointed with the manner in which Bafana conceded.
"We've got to be so uncompromising that when we score first we know we're going to win," he said.
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