Stuart Baxter is a misfit for Bafana Bafana
The British mentor is not a bad tactician but his philosophy doesn't suit South African football.
Today we discussed Bafana Bafana's struggles and what can be done to remedy the situation. Listen to the podcast and read more below.
Baxter spent the better part of his career coaching in Scandinavian and Asian countries where players have to be defensively organised to compensate for their lack of natural dexterity.
We saw his tactics working perfectly at Kaizer Chiefs where he won four trophies in three years. Most of their goals came from crosses and set pieces.
These are the same tactics that he used in Bafana Bafana's 6-0 victory over Seychelles a few weeks ago. The Islanders figured him out in the second leg and the South Africans couldn't score a single goal.
That's a basic way of playing football and even his native England is moving away from it to keep up with the best countries in the world.
READ: Stuart Baxter hails Bafana Bafana's 6 star performance
Percy Tau's assist that he provided for Lebo Mothiba's equaliser against Nigeria last week epitomises our football. It's all about dribbling, short passes, and attacking.
Baxter doesn't understand that and that's why he keeps preferring grafters like Dean Furman over skilful players like Xola Mlambo and Thabang Monare. We all know that a local, Brazilian or Spanish coach would have done otherwise.
Do you think teams like Barcelona and Orlando Pirates or countries like Brazil or Spain would be happy with such a coach? No. All I'm saying is that he is not a bad coach but he is not a perfect mentor for the South African national side if you consider the type of football our country should be playing.