SportPesa Clubhouse column ambassador, Doctor Khumalo continues to talk about Bafana Bafana's areas of weakness with specific reference to recognising critical phases of the game and how to react to them.
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"Since we couldn't make it to the semi-finals or even the final of the 2019 Afcon, you can imagine how I feel, especially after last week's column. It was so unfortunate for the boys to lose the way they did against our nemesis, Nigeria, in the quarterfinals. I was really confident that we'd be able to pull it off, but it just wasn't to be. I would have really liked to see the boys not concede the two soft goals that saw us lose 2-1, after working so hard. This really goes to show how much luck one needs in this game, sometimes. Having said that, you work hard for your luck, which is exactly what Nigeria did. The first goal was a really soft one and so was the second, like I said, as Ronwen Williams misjudged the flight of the ball, which resulted in the ball finding the back of the net.
"You also had two of our defenders caught ball-watching, with the Nigerian player coming from nowhere to score. It was a combination of elementary mistakes that you really get punished for in this game. We conceded the second goal in a very critical phase, which is time when you need everyone focussed. Critical phase means just that – it is an important stage of the game where focus and concentration should be on a high alert. You need everyone to understand what a critical phase means in the team because that is the time when games are won and lost. Yes, I understand that we learn as we go along, but some of these things shouldn't even be happening at this level."
To read Doctor's previous column click here
To read more on what "16V" had to say, check out this week's SportPesa Clubhouse column in Soccer Laduma, issue 1132
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