Bafana feeling insecure, says Khune

Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune might have summed up Bafana Bafana's inferiority complex perfectly.

The South Africans have a problem realising how talented they are, the national side'sone reliable performer said this week ahead of Saturday's must-win 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso at FNB Stadium.

Though right now even admitting that a single Bafana player apart from Khune might be talented does not sit too well.

"When the results are not coming I do not blame the supporters for being so hard on us. We have to deliver," the Kaizer Chiefs man between the sticks said.

"It's crucial that all of us have to know the importance of qualifying for the World Cup.

"With the crop of players that we have now, we are very talented, but we don't realise it - we always want to be reminded.

"It's about time we all realise how talented we are, and that we need to move this team forward."

All Bafana's talent, though, will count for little if coach Stuart Baxter gets his selections wrong again.

The coach had immense success as coach of Kaizer Chiefs and Supersport United, with four trophies in four seasons.

In club football, however, he had a squad of players he worked with daily. Selecting the best team came naturally to a solid, experienced coach.

He got his first starting 11 spot-on against Nigeria. Since then Baxter has shown a worrying inability to discern the best talent he has available, and how to utilise it. He cannot afford any further slip-ups.

It is unbelievably early to be speaking about a coach's future being in doubt just five months into his tenure.

But a second failure to qualify for a World Cup, after a first in his first stint in 2004 and 2005, could be a crippling blow to Baxter's second tenure.

The coach and players simply need to get it right this time. The country has lost patience, and will not stomach anything less.