Jordaan backs Mosimane to build stronger Bafana Bafana

Former defender Hilton Jordaan believes Pitso Mosimane can turn Bafana Bafana into a well-organised side, although he accepts the team still has significant room for improvement.

Mosimane made a positive start to his second spell as South Africa coach, with Bafana Bafana showing resilience and character against Guinea and Eritrea in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. They also recorded a victory over Egypt in a friendly international.

Jordaan says supporters should give Mosimane time to establish his methods rather than attempting to dictate how the national team should play. He believes the coach’s limited preparation time has made it difficult for the players to immediately produce his preferred style.

“Against Guinea it was a good win, there is still a lot of work to do yes, but once Pitso gets his way, and get the Bafana team to play the way he wanna to play, I mean he’s only had about four days to prepare the team,” Jordaan told KickOff.

The former defender expects the team’s performances to develop as Mosimane spends more time working with the squad.

“So, you will see as he gets more time to prepare the team, it’s the more they will start playing the way he wants them to play. It’s gonna take time. A coach knows how he wants to play.

“Some players are gonna play, and some are gonna sit on the bench. That’s the nature of football. There are players who are not even gonna be in our squad. Every coach gonna have his own players.”

Jordaan’s comments underline the changes that may follow as Mosimane shapes the squad around his tactical preferences. He warned that not every current player will necessarily remain involved, with selection decisions ultimately belonging to the coach.

Despite calling for patience, Jordaan is confident in South Africa’s ability to compete. He believes Bafana Bafana have developed into a difficult team to defeat and will demand a high level from their opponents.

“We have become very strong. No one will beat us. To beat us you will have to be very good,” he said.

South Africa are also due to face Kenya. Jordaan pointed to the financial difficulties affecting their opponents, saying the Kenyan players had gone without their salaries and bonuses for the past two months.

“We will also be playing Kenya who haven’t been paid salaries and bonuses for the past two months,” he added.

Jordaan’s assessment comes as Mosimane continues to rebuild Bafana Bafana during his second stint in charge, with the coach’s methods expected to become clearer as he has more time to prepare the team.