With Lyle Foster, pictured left, searching for form and Iqraam Rayners surging up the PSL charts, the battle for the No. 9 jersey is officially on. Photo: Ayanda Ndamane Independent Media
Image: Ayanda Ndamane Independent Media
THE golden currency in football has always been goals — placing the ball in the back of the net and taking chances when they arise.
At the moment, Bafana Bafana’s goalscoring stocks are trading at an all-time low. Despite impressive build-up work from the midfielders, the cutting edge in the final third has gone walkabout. The culpability does not lie solely with the admittedly out-of-form frontman, Lyle Foster, as the final ball through to t he No. 9 has not always been of the highest quality.
Bafana held their own against Panama — who are ranked more than 30 places higher — across the two friendlies played in Durban and Cape Town. However, they could only come away with a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 defeat, respectively.
Bafana Bafana striker Iqraam Rayners.
Image: BackpagePix
Having suffered his first home reversal in five years, coach Hugo Broos acknowledged that his team needs to be more clinical in attack, especially when they arrive at the Fifa World Cup in June.
“This is something you have to work on, and it has something to do with the confidence of the players. When you have the chances that we had (Tuesday) and last Friday, it is a little bit too much to miss them all,” Broos said.
“I think in the two games, we had 10 chances and we only scored two times. So, that is not enough. You can work on it, but it is difficult for me to work on it because the players are gone tomorrow, and I will only see them back at the end of May.
“It has something to do with confidence: being in front of the goal, knowing what you are going to do, and putting the ball in the net. It concerns me, certainly, because in the two games, we missed a little bit too many of our chances.
“On the other hand, we have also proved in the past that we can score easily. I know it was in AFCON or in preparation for the World Cup against African teams, and it is different. But this is something that will return.”
The spotlight has been firmly on Foster, as the Burnley FC striker’s lack of form at club level - where he only has one goal in the English Premiership this season - has transferred to the international stage.
Although Foster scored two goals in the recent Africa Cup of Nations and was fully backed by captain Ronwen Williams ahead of the second friendly against Panama, the feeling is growing that he might not be the right choice to lead Bafana’s frontline in the Fifa World Cup opener in Mexico.
Orlando Pirates’ Evidence Makgopa is on standby should Broos lose faith in Foster, but it is outside the current squad that the veteran Belgian tactician may turn to, in the form of Mamelodi Sundowns’ Iqraam Rayners. The Masandawana ace has rediscovered his scoring touch in recent weeks and has soared to second place on the PSL goalscoring charts.
“We have the players who are here and who are abroad, and that's it. So, I know that there are still some weaknesses in the team,” Broos said.
“We can't go to the World Cup with the level we have now. There has to be something more. And again, we can work on that, certainly.
“Maybe there will be other players that we can see in the next month that can make our team better and stronger. So, again, I know that was not the goal of this game — to say after the game that we are ready.
"There are still three months to go. But again, it was interesting to see what we still need, and this is something we are going to work on.”
When pressed on Rayners’ possible inclusion in the Fifa World Cup squad, Broos was not willing to reveal his plans just yet.
“As I said, I have about 70% of the selection in mind. But I also think that it's not the right moment and the right place now to make declarations about this one or that one.
"This is something Helman and I are going to solve between the two of us. And we will see in June who, in the end, will be in the selection for the World Cup.”