World Cup Team Guide: South Africa

South Africa / Dave Farrar / 12 May 2010 / 2 Comments Free £25 Bet

Middle man or main man? Steven Pienaar will have to play out of his skin for South Africa to have a chance

As seeded hosts, a place in the last sixteen will be seen as the bare minimum for Carlos Alberto Parreira's side but in the absence of any real quality throughout the squad they could eally struggle to get even that far...

"I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a manufactured friendly win or two for the Bafana Bafana in the build up to the tournament, just to create the illusion that they may be able to perform. But don’t be fooled."

Is it just me, or do we all have the sneaking suspicion that South Africa could be the worst ever World Cup host nation? I'm not talking about the obvious security concerns off the pitch, but on the pitch the team looks toothless and potentially terrible. They will be worth a long look in the "To Qualify" markets, not to mention finishing bottom of the group.

If you take the Confederations Cup as a guide, then they MAY have a chance of winning one game. They beat New Zealand, drew with Iraq and were thrashed by Spain, before producing their best performance of the tournament in a 1-0 semi final defeat by Brazil. Brazil were a bit undercooked that day, but on paper that kind of form gives them an outside chance of qualifying. But I don't feel that the team will respond well to the pressure of going into the tournament with high expectations. They have one truly world class player in the shape of Steven Pienaar but the rest of their squad is filled either big names who I regard as overrated (step forward the laziest man in the Premier League, Benni McCarthy) or players who just aren't good enough.

You could argue that South Korea weren't fancied at all in 2002 and look what happened to them as a host nation, but their hard running style was always likely, given a bit of luck, to see them progress. South Africa will be a different prospect altogether, and a win over Madagascar and a draw with Jamaica are not form lines that I want to be going into battle with in what looks like a tough group. South Africa lost eight of their nine international games after the Confederations Cup, and even though the coach Joel Santana was subsequently replaced by Carlos Alberto Pareira, I will be backing them to finish bottom of the group, and not to qualify, as well as opposing them in each of their games.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a manufactured friendly win or two for the Bafana Bafana in the build up to the tournament, just to create the illusion that they may be able to perform. But don't be fooled.

COACH: Carlos Alberto Pareira

These will be the sixth World Cup finals for Pareira, and much will be made in the build up of the value of his experience. In reality, you can pick holes in his record. He produced one of the dullest Brazil sides ever to win in 1994 and then failed with them last time. And his record with underdogs in the shape of Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia is far from stellar. There was a whiff of desperation and a lack of passion about his appointment, and damage limitation may be his main job.

KEY PLAYERS

Steven Pienaar
Can Pienaar be all three of my key players? I do feel for the Everton man, as he has been outstanding this season, and deserves a better shot at his home World Cup than he's likely to get. Pienaar has been transformed by David Moyes into a hard working and creative midfielder, but his problem in the national side is the lack of quality in front of him. It's one thing laying on chances for Yakubu and Louis Saha, quite another when there's no firepower to convert your hard work.

Bernard Parker

Pienaar is head and shoulders above the other South African players, but one man who did impress at the Confederations Cup was Parker. He scored both of the team's goals in the win over the New Zealand, and he has pace and adaptability in forward areas. Expect to hear commentators refer to his schoolboy swimming career and the fact that he has flourished under Steve McClaren at Twente. Will be worth a look, if any South African player is, in the "To Score" markets.

Macbeth Sibaya

Sibaya has been around for a long time, but his role in front of Matthew Booth as the defensive spine of the team will be crucial if South Africa are to get anywhere. He has been in steady if unspectacular form for Rubin Kazan, but at least his experience of winning with the Russian side will bring the correct mentality to the Bafana Bafana.

Recommended Bet: Lay South Africa to Qualify @ [3.15]

Tags: South Africa squad, South African players, Steven Pienaar, World Cup odds, World Cup players