|
|
Ngxabi: No team is an island, Bafana teamwork needs to improve after disappointment against Cape Verde Islands
20 Jan 2013 2:15:00 PM
Former AmaZulu midfielder Litha Ngxabi told Goal.com that Bafana's poor possession resulted in their stalemate performance against Cape Verde on Saturday
Former AmaZulu midfielder Litha Ngxabi believes Bafana cannot reach the semi-finals, after watching their disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in the opening match at the National Stadium (Soccer City) in Johannesburg.
Ngxabi, who specialised in midfield for AmaZulu stated that Bafana's problem is the midfield, as players are failing to gel together and create safe passes to one another.
“I feel we were not playing as a unit and we couldnt put decent passes together. Our chances of getting goals were always going to be scarce as there were hardly any shots at goal,” said Ngxabi.
“Gordon knew the potential of these guys, so it surprises me how he setup his team. We must remember that Cape Verde eliminated Cameroon who are not playing in the Afcon today,” he reminded us.
Despite the fact that Bafana once again failed to hit the back of the net, Ngxabi said he still has hopes that the team will advance to the next round.
“I wouldn’t want to write the team off completely, since I personally know how unpredictable the game of football is. I think the boys will learn from their mistakes and come back a better team,” he said.
Players such Siphiwe Tshabalala and Thuso Phala displayed good performances, but they couldn’t win the game on their own. Ngxabi stresses that the rest of the players need to come to the party now to progress to the quarterfinals.
"No man is an island, it’s time that the rest of the players join in the party and start playing as a team. There were even times where we couldn’t maintain our ball possession, and that gives the opposition an opportunity to turn the game against us.
“Going forward I think we need to be more aggressive in our attack and make the opposition worried about us,” said Ngxabi.
Related Stories
Inside Goal.Com
-
Goal interviews Katlego Mashego
Goal speaks with the current PSL top goalscorer Katlego Mashego who talks about his career at Moroka Swallows, the feeling of finishing as top goalscorer and his return to the national team
-
Real Madrid are better off without Mourinho
The Portuguese's position had become untenable in recent weeks, especially after Friday's debacle in the Copa del Rey. Now he's leaving, but the club can grow stronger without him
-
SA Goal readers best comments of the week
Read our second installment of our Goal readers comments on all the big talking points in South African soccer over the week. Join the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter
-
SA Player of the Week: Mabhuti Khenyeza
The Ajax Cape Town striker inspired his side to PSL survival on Saturday with two goals and an assist in the process
-
Who is the greatest Champions League striker ever?
Enter our competition now and you will be in with a chance of winning one of four replica football shirts. Simply pick your favourite and subscribe to our YouTube channel