Ed Dove takes over as Shakes Mashabaââ¬â¢s chief scout and looks at the weaknesses of Ghana, Bafana Bafanaââ¬â¢s final Group C opponents at the 2015 Cup of Nations.
So, it comes to this.
The last six months of triumph and tragedy, delight and disaster all boil down to South Africaââ¬â¢s match against Ghana on Wednesday evening.
Win, and Shakes Mashabaââ¬â¢s side will be in the quarter-finals â⬓ providing Algeria and Senegal donââ¬â¢t draw. A stalemate or a defeat would see the promise and the potential of the new coachââ¬â¢s reign stumble amid the disappointment of the Afcon itself.
By no means would it be terminal for Mashabaââ¬â¢s tenure, but another defeat would raise further major doubts about the coachââ¬â¢s tournament preparation and competition management.
Ghana will enter the contest buoyed by their recent victory against much-fancied Algeria. Itââ¬â¢s a result that puts the Black Starsââ¬â¢ further progression in their own hands and dents the Desert Foxesââ¬â¢ chances of a quarter-final place.
Rightly, the Black Stars will be favourites for this contest, but I do not believe South Africa fans ought to be too pessimistic. Ghana have weaknesses, and it will be up to Bafana to exploit them.
First of all, the West African giants may have secured the victory against Algeria â⬓ through a late Asamoah Gyan goal â⬓ but that doesnââ¬â¢t mask the fact that they were fairly uninspired throughout the contest.
In fact, in the Black Starsââ¬â¢ two matches so far, they have struggled for cohesion, strangely, that is, apart from that opening 25-minute spell against Senegal.
It may be that success will breed confidence, that confidence will lead to renewed focus, and that increased belief and unity will lead to an improved performance from Avram Grantââ¬â¢s side, but based on recent performances, they are far from the sum of their parts.
Similarly, Gyanââ¬â¢s dramatic late winner may have detracted from certain sub-par Black Stars performers, but the struggles of various individuals to date wonââ¬â¢t be lost on Mashaba.
Take, for example, Jordan Ayew. In the absence of Majeed Waris, Ayew is the only truly viable option to partner Gyan in attack â⬓ Kwesi Appiah of Cambridge United and Mahatma Otoo, with only a handful of caps to his name, havenââ¬â¢t demonstrated that they are good enough to lead the line for Ghana.
While Jordan may be a cut above these two, he is an increasingly frustrating figure.
The former Olympique Marseille man has scored only once in his last 11 Ghana performances, and that was against Portuguese side Olhanense in a pre-Afcon friendly. Excluding that anomalous hat-trick against Korea in a half-paced contest ahead of the World Cup, Ayewââ¬â¢s effort against Olhanense is his only goal for the Black Stars since a match against Lesotho in June 2012.
He has done precious little to demonstrate that he is worthy of leading the line.
South Africaââ¬â¢s defence cannot ignore Jordan, but considering his aimless attacking play, Eric Mathoho and Rivaldo Coetzee can at least focus their attentions on Gyan.
Behind him, Grant has toyed with his options in central midfield. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu is the only player to have started both games, with Mohammed Rabiu dropped after the opener, having only been a bit-part figure in the new managerââ¬â¢s early friendly matches in charge.
His replacement, Afriyie Acquah, is a different kind of player. While Rabiuââ¬â¢s poise and positioning meant that Ghanaââ¬â¢s midfield always had an anchor, a reference point, both Acquah and Agyemang-Badu like to charge forward and join the attack,
This is something that Bafana Bafana can surely profit from as Ghana risk leaving space in behind for the likes of Mandla Masango and Andile Jali to exploit.
Should Renielwe Letsholonyane get onto the field, South Africa would boast another player who can make the right decisions in the heart of the park and take advantage of any positional indiscipline on the part of Acquah and Agyemang-Badu.
And speaking of indiscipline, Parmaââ¬â¢s Acquah, in particular, is more than capable of a rash tackle or two. He was booked early on against Algeria and was forced to mute his performance somewhat. This is a physical battle that Dean Furman should exploit.
Finally, itââ¬â¢s important to take solace from Ghanaââ¬â¢s uninspiring defensive record.
Excluding the turgid showing against Algeria, the Black Stars havenââ¬â¢t kept a clean-sheet in any of their seven competitive matches since the World Cup.
As soon as Senegal turned on the pressure, Ghanaââ¬â¢s faiblesse was revealed and Grant subsequently lost faith with his back-three, dropping Mohamed Awal. There is, at least, a measure of stability in the goalkeeping department â⬓ Razak Brimah has started five of the last six, which is more than can be said for Bafana!
During the qualifiers, Ghana were repeatedly troubled by lesser opponents. Both Togo and Guinea found some joy against their brittle backline, while Uganda even secured a victory over the would-be heavyweights in Kampala.
If South Africa can marry their exhilarating offensive play to some sharp finishing, then thereââ¬â¢s no reason why Ghanaââ¬â¢s familiar failings couldnââ¬â¢t be brought back into the spotlight.
Despite their Algerian success, I remain unconvinced that this Black Stars side are the real deal. They have failings, obvious ones, and it falls to Mashaba and the boys to exploit them