Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has given his players the thumbs up for the progress they have made in the last 12 months.
Bafana are in camp in Johannesburg ahead of their friendly internationals against Namibia on Saturday and DR Congo on Tuesday.
Both matches will be played at the Orlando Stadium. The South Africans have now gone seven matches without a loss, winning five and drawing two.
Broos has instilled a winning mentality and a sense of self-belief in the players. They even outdid themselves when they defeated African giants Morocco 2-1 in their last match.
“We have made a big progression as compared to one year ago. The mentality is totally different now because of the players we have,” Broos told Safa media.
“Those players know why they come to the national team. They are honoured to be here, they are hungry, they want results, and they want to go play in the Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations].
“That is important for all African players. This is very important and if we were to play against Ghana today, it would be completely different game that the last match.
“We had two good sessions and the players are very motivated. Everybody is working hard and that is very pleasing for a coach. The new players are adapting.”
The former Cameroon coach said he has a plan for the players.
“We have a plan, we would have made use of it if we did not suffer so many injuries – we should have changed a lot because we want to see everyone.
“The games next month are very important, as they are for preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November.
“As for Namibia, we know about them, it is what our team can do against them. They have a different style, and they will want to outperform us, so it will be a good test.”
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