As Bafana Bafana continue with their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast starting this weekend, coach Hugo Broos is counting on his experience when he guided Cameroon to glory in 2017 to inspire SA to go all the way this time.
Bafana are in Group E with Mali, Namibia and Tunisia. They will start their campaign against Mali on Tuesday at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium (10pm).
The Belgian miraculously won the 2017 edition in Gabon with an under-strength Cameroon when they beat Egypt in the final and has detailed what Bafana will need to win the title in Ivory Coast.
“I think I have to give my experience to the players. They have to be aware that this is a tough tournament and even guys from [Mamelodi] Sundowns, who play in the CAF Champions League, can’t compare that with a match at Afcon,” Broos said.
“You have the best players. When you play in the Champions League, you always play against African players who play in local competitions.
“In Afcon, you play against guys who play in Europe. That’s the difference. Secondly, all the teams are motivated. It’s like they play for their lives.
“So, there are very tough, very intense games and I think that’s an experience for me. It was a big surprise when I played the first games against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
“I didn’t believe my eyes, so tough, so intense. I think that experience I have to give to my players to know what to expect on Tuesday.
“I didn’t know the intensity, how people looked at it. It’s different from Europe.”
Broos also feels Mali’s 6-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the recent friendly match will not mean anything when they face each other on Tuesday.
“When you see the results of that friendly game, it’s not something to worry about or to say ‘look at this one’, first of all, you have to see under which circumstances Guinea came into that game,” he said.
“Maybe the coach trained very hard and those guys were tired and for Mali, maybe it is different. So, you don’t know the details and I don’t give much importance to such games because they are preparation matches.
“But again, we have enough information and that game will not change what we think about them. They are a good team.”
Broos banks on his 2017 miracle to see Bafana through
Coach reckons he can repeat Cameroon feat with SA
Image: SAFA MEDIA
As Bafana Bafana continue with their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast starting this weekend, coach Hugo Broos is counting on his experience when he guided Cameroon to glory in 2017 to inspire SA to go all the way this time.
Bafana are in Group E with Mali, Namibia and Tunisia. They will start their campaign against Mali on Tuesday at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium (10pm).
The Belgian miraculously won the 2017 edition in Gabon with an under-strength Cameroon when they beat Egypt in the final and has detailed what Bafana will need to win the title in Ivory Coast.
“I think I have to give my experience to the players. They have to be aware that this is a tough tournament and even guys from [Mamelodi] Sundowns, who play in the CAF Champions League, can’t compare that with a match at Afcon,” Broos said.
“You have the best players. When you play in the Champions League, you always play against African players who play in local competitions.
“In Afcon, you play against guys who play in Europe. That’s the difference. Secondly, all the teams are motivated. It’s like they play for their lives.
“So, there are very tough, very intense games and I think that’s an experience for me. It was a big surprise when I played the first games against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
“I didn’t believe my eyes, so tough, so intense. I think that experience I have to give to my players to know what to expect on Tuesday.
“I didn’t know the intensity, how people looked at it. It’s different from Europe.”
Broos also feels Mali’s 6-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the recent friendly match will not mean anything when they face each other on Tuesday.
“When you see the results of that friendly game, it’s not something to worry about or to say ‘look at this one’, first of all, you have to see under which circumstances Guinea came into that game,” he said.
“Maybe the coach trained very hard and those guys were tired and for Mali, maybe it is different. So, you don’t know the details and I don’t give much importance to such games because they are preparation matches.
“But again, we have enough information and that game will not change what we think about them. They are a good team.”
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