Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is confident Lyle Foster will find his scoring boots before the Fifa World Cup kicks off.
Image: AFP
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is confident they have sufficient time to restore the morale of striker Lyle Foster, who has been experiencing a dip in form over the last few weeks.
Foster returned to the Bafana line-up on Friday, starting in the team’s final preparation match against Nicaragua on home soil ahead of the FIFA World Cup in North America, scheduled to begin next month. The 25-year-old attacker was ineffective during the game, and his confidence visibly suffered after he missed a penalty late in the first half — a critical moment contributing to Bafana’s disappointing goalless draw.
Broos withdrew Foster at half-time, replacing him with Iqraam Rayners in what the coach described as a technical substitution rather than a tactical one.
“I think Lyle also needs confidence from our side, and a little bit better physical condition,” Broos stated. “A good Lyle is quick and effective. You could see in the first half, he wasn’t — but that wasn't the sole reason we changed him. Lyle is low on confidence. He’s doubting himself, and we have to work on this in the next few days during training. We must try and ensure that he returns to the level he was at a few months ago.”
Foster’s slump in confidence stems from his lack of playing time under interim coach Mike Jackson at Burnley since the club severed ties with former manager Scott Parker following their relegation to the English Championship.
“I think he’s struggling a little bit, but he’ll be okay,” Broos assured, adding that they will work hard to get him back to his best. “We have enough time now to put him back where we want him.”
Supporters who attended the match at the chilly Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday did not receive Foster's penalty miss well, booing him afterwards. Broos, however, downplayed the incident.
“The fans today are not happy, and tomorrow they will kiss you,” Broos explained. “It is important that they support you. So, it cannot be a reason to say that they don’t like you. Fans are fans. They react with the heart — that’s emotional, and not a problem.”
Broos added that Bafana’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal is a team problem, not solely Foster's burden. He expressed belief that Foster, Evidence Makgopa, Iqraam Rayners, and other players will work hard to find their scoring touch before the World Cup.
“This has long been a problem for Bafana Bafana,” he stated. “It is challenging that Bafana doesn’t score much, although there was a period where we scored many goals. It is a little less now. We should have scored a lot of goals five or six months ago at Afcon. But it’s nothing to be worried about. It is something that can be restored quickly. We have players that can score goals — Lyle, Iqraam, Makgopa, and others like Moremi.”
Broos’s confidence that his squad will be firing on all cylinders at the World Cup stems from the fact that there will be ample time to prepare.
“It is just a question now of restoring efficiency in the next 10 days. We have time now to work with the players, because the disadvantage of the national team is just having players for 10 days before they go back to their clubs,” Broos commented. “I have had them with me since Monday, so for the next four to five weeks, we will be able to work on this. So, I am not worried about that. South Africa doesn't have a true goalscorer at the moment, but we have proven in the past that we can solve that.”