'Not the real deal yet'

Bafana Bafana's narrow 1-0 win over Zambia on Sunday should not be a yardstick of what to expect from the team at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, says coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba.

Despite still boasting an unbeaten record since taking over as national coach, Mashaba quietly criticised his team for an uninspiring performance in the scorching heat of Soweto.

"This game against Zambia wasn't our yardstick. The level of fitness from our players was questionable and we need to work on that. Let us not forget that some of them last played a few days before Christmas before taking a break, so this has affected their fitness.

"It only takes a couple of days for players to lose their fitness if they take a break."

Bafana Bafana leave for Gabon tomorrow, where they will play two friendly matches against Cameroon and the home side, before setting up at their Mongomo base next week.

Mashaba demanded that his 23-man squad pull up their socks to avoid making up the numbers in a daunting Group C alongside Algeria, Senegal and Ghana.

"Cameroon and Gabon will give us exactly what we expect," said Mashaba, who showed his hand with a probable lineup with only midfielders Dean Furman and Andile Jali missing.

In their place Mashaba tried out Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Thamsanqa Sangweni, but he wasn't all that pleased with their efforts.

"It was a new combination that came at the wrong time," the coach explained. "We wanted to give other players a chance. But we gave the ball away a lot in the middle of the park and played against a team that is pacey and good going forward. Our players needed to communicate better."

Jali trained with the national team yesterday, and Furman arrived from England and headed straight for a medical.

Mashaba was confronted with striker issues as well. He made a surprise early change in the first half when the more experienced Bernard Parker replaced Bongani Ndulula.

He did not rave about Parker either, but nor was he critical.

"I think Parker is still unsure about his place in this team. He did not give us exactly what we wanted, but he did well. I think because of his experience he will give us a lot more once he knows his place in the team," Mashaba said.

The coach said there were a few more players who were in a similar predicament. Thuso Phala, who came off the bench and scored the winning goal in the 81st minute, is among that group.

"The players that came on never gave us what we were looking for. I think there's a lot of self-evaluation from some of them when they are on the pitch because they aren't quite sure of their place in this team. They are still in a pool of confusion.

"But this is a new era in football and we need to keep looking for more. We have set a standard and have a chance to win the Afcon. We qualified with a game in hand, but what I appreciate about these boys is that it is not just about that. We are dreaming of more and no one knows just yet how our Group of Death will unfold," said Mashaba.