What a disappointing start for Bafana Bafana! After their draw to Iraq, Joel Santana's side now finds itself in a situation where they have to beat New Zealand on Wednesday or face the prospect of an early exit from the 'Festival of Champions'.

This situation could have been avoided if Santana had used a better tactic on the day, but instead the Brazilian-born mentor decided to use a defensive system for the entire match, much to the delight of the Iraqi technical team who would have been happy with the point gained in the match.

I heard somebody saying that Bafana Bafana played well on the day, but to me it was more of Iraq making Bafana look good by allowing them to dictate the terms of the game. Even an amateur coach like me could see that Iraq had come seeking a draw and in that respect it was mission accomplished for the Asian champions.

In his post-match interview Santana had the nerve to attack Iraqi coach Milutinovic, saying he employed negative tactics, instead of standing up like a man and admitting that the Serbian outplayed him in terms of tactics.

The onus lay in Santana's hands to take risks by employing a more offensive system, especially in the second half, but he waited until the last quarter of the match to do that.

Granted, Bafana had some opportunities to score in the second half, but these opportunities were more a result of poor defence by Iraq, than the attacking prowess of the South Africans.

It will come as no surprise if New Zealand — especially after their 5-0 drubbing from Spain &38212; use the same tactics that Iraq used when they play Bafana Bafana on Wednesday.

Santana will have to come up with a way to counter this 'negative' approach or face the prospect of failing to lead Bafana Bafana to the semifinals of the Confed Cup.

And this might have dire consequences for his career as Bafana coach, because the likes of Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan have made it clear that they expect nothing less than to see Bafana playing in the play-offs.

So Santana, the ball is in your court!

  • Do you agree with Khaya that Joel Santana's tactic was to blame for Bafana's draw against Iraq? Can Bafana still qualify for the semifinals of the Confederations Cup? Let us know want YOU think
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