With Parreira having made noise about wanting sterner opponents for his team in preparing for the World Cup he got it last night against a resolute Bulgaria that tested the penetrative effectiveness of Bafana Bafana in the last third. "The team has a shape now and I am happy with the performance. The best result is always to win the game but in games like this we get good preparation. Playing against a team that has been together for the past three weeks was a good test for us. "We have made good progress and you can see the team is growing step by step," boasts the Brazilian who saw Siyabonga Sangweni push his side into the lead with his first international goal before Valeri Bozhinov equalised.
_quote "Getting to have a shape is always the most difficult stage to get to but I am glad we now have that shape and we will not change that. If you look at all the games that we have played since we went to Brazil, there has been a similarity in our shape and our goalkeeper has never been Man of the Match which is very good for me. "The keeper is not getting the money in all the games that we have played in all the camps which is something good for us. I am happy about this, even if my keeper is not getting the pay cheque. "This goes to show that the shape is there and I am not going to change it even if I introduce new players different to the ones that we have been working with all the camps. "Tonight we brought in Tsepo Masilela, KG (Kagisho Dikgacoi) and Aaron Mokoena, but the shape remained the same. By the time we play Denmark (May 31) we will be settled because we have to hand in our squad to Fifa the next day," says Parreira. The Brazilian gaffer appears already settled on his final 23 that will have five players dropped from the current team after games against Columbia and Denmark in the next six days. "Maybe I don’t have to give every player an opportunity in the remaining two games because some of them I have seen from the nine games in Brazil and two in Germany. Everybody has had his opportunity. "It will be a tough decision cutting down the squad because everyone has been with us here and so deserve to be in the team but it is unfortunate that Fifa only allows 23 players," he says.
Your comments on this story...
I wuld luv 2 c parker and Nomvete starting de game,giv Mphela a break b4 Word cup begins as wel as Tshabalala.
Remember de goal was 4rm a defender,not that defenders r not suppose 2 score.Your kinsman tried de 4-5-1 system and it led him into a drought of goals nd that's de last thing u need in de world cup.
In 2002 we culd not qualify 2 de nxt stages bcauz of goal difference.
by the way I didn't understood ur substitution strategy.
i mean de was no one 2 link defence nd strikers,forcing them 2 play in their half most of the tym wit mphela facing 3 defenders.
Although de 2nd half 4 Bafana was not as dynamic as firt half,bt wel done 2 de defence 4 not conceding a second goal.
Bafana re kaofela.