Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has laid down the marker for the national team's playing style, though he admits there will hardly be time to fine-tune his philosophy.
There were glimpses of his approach in Bafana's 1-0 win over Sudan on at the weekend to register their first victory of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in the opening round a few days earlier.
"Everything started with the u/17 team because when we prepared for the World Cup of the Africa Cup of Nations, we were able to have an identity – for how I want things to be done. But the most important thing is that you don't have time," said Ntseki.
Bafana won't be in action again until March next year when they begin their 2022 World Cup qualification – in the meantime, the coach will be identifying more players to add to the pool that already exists in the setup.
"The time I had with the u/17 allowed me to put my personality in the team. If you have a very disciplined team tactically, it helps. If you have got structure and variations in your movements, it helps. As well as quick circulation of the ball, in defence or attack. The most important thing is to have individual brilliance. You need speed, creativity and discipline in your attack. Tika-taka demands a lot from your players. So my philosophy is not direct, it's not tika-taka, but it's within the tactical strategy that will you us results," Ntseki said.
