Emad Ghanim, the performance analyst for the Eritrea national team within the technical staff led by Hisham Yakan, discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the South Africa national team ahead of their anticipated friendly match against Egypt.
Egypt will host South Africa at 9:00 PM next Sunday at Cairo International Stadium, in the final match for the Pharaohs during the current international break period.
The South African team, led by Pitso Mosimane, achieved a big victory over Eritrea with five goals to nil in the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, after starting their campaign with a 2-1 win against Guinea, collecting 6 points from the first two matches.
Strengths of the South African national team
Emad Ghanim stated in exclusive comments to "Yalla Kora" that the South African team, under Mosimane's leadership, possesses many strengths, alongside some gaps that the Egyptian team can work on during Sunday's friendly.
He added: "The most prominent strength of the South African team is the quick transitions they rely on and execute brilliantly, where they switch from defense to attack in a fraction of a second."
He continued: "Another key strength is goalkeeper Williams, who acts as the 11th player in the South African lineup. He excels at building up play for the team and often positions himself very high during South Africa's attacks to provide numerical superiority for his team."
He emphasized: "South Africa has a very distinctive center-back duo, Akon and Mahanya, who read each other exceptionally well and are characterized by building attacks from the back."
Emad Ghanim further stated: "70% of South Africa's attacks come through the left flank via Modiba or Kabini, along with winger Abolis. They also rely on the dropping movement of striker Mofokeng to implement a playing style based on short passes and reaching the goal as quickly as possible with the fewest number of passes."
He stressed: "Mohamed Hany, or Egypt's right-back, will face the greatest pressure in this encounter, because South Africa relies heavily on that flank in all their attacks."
Mofokeng... The hub of South Africa's play
The Egyptian performance analyst confirmed that player Mofokeng represents a significant part of the strategic and tactical aspect of the South African team under Mosimane's leadership, as he is one of the team's play hubs.
He added: "South Africa has 7 professional players abroad, while the rest are from South African league clubs. They are very adept at playing in Egypt and are accustomed to the atmosphere in our stadiums. Mofokeng must receive support from the midfield line."
Change in playing style did not save Eritrea
Regarding the reasons for the heavy loss against South Africa, the Eritrean team's performance analyst said: "We tried to stop the danger posed by the opponent and changed our formation to (5-4-1), but our players do not possess sufficient experience."
Ghanim affirmed: "In the first quarter-hour, under Hisham Yakan's leadership, we tried to impose our control on the match and missed a dangerous chance through Ali Suleiman, the Al-Masry Port Said player, but luck was not on our side."
Weaknesses of the South African national team
Despite the advantages possessed by the South African team, Ghanim confirmed that "Bafana Bafana" have a weakness in their center-back pairing.
He explained: "For most of the match, the center-back duo stays very close to each other, which allows us to play on the wings and spread out easily."
He continued: "Williams is an excellent goalkeeper, but pressing him creates errors. This point can be exploited by constantly pressuring the keeper, as he holds the ball between his feet for a long time."
He added: "Positioning in this match will be very important, and lack of concentration could lead to defeat, because they excel at moving quickly with the ball."
Emad Ghanim concluded his statements saying: "Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the national team, must focus on defensive aspects and press the 'Bafana' team from the start, while concentrating on stopping their quick transitions."
