[Africa Group 3]
6 Matches 4 Wins 1 Tie 1 Loss (13 points)
| 11/9/96 | Vs. Congo Democratic Republic | Win | 1-0 |
| 1/11/97 | Vs. Zambia | Draw | 0-0 |
| 4/6/97 | Vs. Republic of Congo | Lose | 2-0 |
| 4/27/97 | Vs. Congo Democratic Republic | Win | 1-2 |
| 6/8/97 | Vs. Zambia | Win | 3-0 |
| 8/16/97 | Vs. Republic of Congo | Win | 1-0 |
| Offense |
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Defense |
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| Organization |
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Experience |
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| Talent |
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Capacity to surprise |
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This is South Africa's first appearance in the World Cup, but this does not mean that it has no chance to advance to the championship round. As coach, Troussier, who led the Burkina Faso national team in the African Championship (and is the former coach of the Nigerian national team) has come on board as planned and preparations for the World Cup tournament are well underway.
The major feature of this team is solid defense. The center of the defense is the center back Mark Fish and midfielder Radebe at a defensive position. These two serve as the rudder of the defense and are amazingly stingy about giving up goals. In goal, the young Baloyi boasts a superior sense of stability with his defensive range, catching etc., so he certainly deserves to be the regular. Also, at the final tail, probably Jackson will combine with Fish. For the side backs, Nyathi with his remarkable advances is on the left and Montang is on the right.
The midfielders are positioned in a diamond, with Radebe at the bottom, Moeti on the right, and Mkhalele the most likely. For the game maker who serves as the starting point for the offense, there is Moshoeu. He is an elegant player with overflowing speed and technique and will bete key player for the team. The two tops are set with Masinga and McCarthy. The attack is said to be the weak point of the team, but the ideal for the South Africans is for the young McCarthy to stir things up with his speed and for Mashinga to finish off the goal.
The South African system is a basic 4-3-3, but depending on the opponent and on conditions, they also shift to a 5-3-2.
*SOUTH FRICA
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
[Address]
- First National Bank
- studium-NASREC
- PO BOX 910.
- Johannesburg 2000
[Established] 1982
*First appearance (1998)
No championships |
Mark FISH
* Defense
Fish has grown up as a player in Europe and now commands the defense as the center of the South African national team.
Since he played as the main axis for 1995 African Champion Orland Pailetsu, Mark Fish has been acknowledged as a world-class defender, then he moved to the European stage. Having grown into an ideal defender with overflowing power taking advantage of his height, Fish is naturally a center athlete on the national team. His role in in the African Player's Championship in 1996 is also still fresh in the memory. Currently, his club team is the Bolton Wanderers of England where his practical skills are improving further. Fish also has superior tactical eyes, making him an indispensable presence for a South African team for which tactical improvement is such an urgent task.
Philippe TROUSSIER
Troussier was born in France in 1955. After coaching for such teams as Red Star in France, he moved to Africa where he left a solid track record at 1 Club in Cote D'Ivoire, then became the national team coach. After that, he coached club teams in Morocco, South Africa, and elsewhere, then as the Nigerian national team coach, he took part in the African qualifiers (from March to the end of August). Furthermore, he coached the Burkina Faso national team in the African Players' Championship held there and became the coach of the South African national team after that tournament. Between Bubarga and Troussier, Jomo Sono was the coach.
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