Fans of Bafana Bafana should relax. Though the national soccer team have slumped to new lows during the past year - failing to qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations and falling at one time to a record low of 85 in the Fifa rankings - this does not mean there's no progress.
This Bafana side is a lot better than the much maligned one that came back from a disastrous 2006 African Cup of Nations campaign. Unlike that sorry side, this team can hold onto the ball for lengthy spells, defend reasonably well and create decent scoring chances.
They have even managed to score and have racked up wins against honest but low ranking sides like Malawi, Equatorial Guinea and an under-strength Ghana.
Current coach Joel Santana might be inclined to take credit for the turnaround but it was his predecessor, fellow Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira who laid the foundation for the improvement.
Under Parreira, Bafana started to string together up to 30 passes and had a win against Paraguay, their first victory over quality opposition.
The Confederations Cup in June 2009 will give Santana the chance to prove he is in the same class as Parreira and that he is more than a footballing journeyman.
Bafana have made progress but this does not mean they do not have problems - like proving they can score more regularly. The team's impotence in front of goal was the main reason they could not qualify for the African Cup of Nations. Astonishingly, they went for more than 270 minutes without scoring, at a crucial stage during qualification for this African showcase.
For all Bafana's creative build-ups and resolute defence, the team somehow forgot footballing basics when it came to striking a ball - get your knee over the ball and keep your head down when shooting at goal. The wins in the latter half of the last year might just be a turning point in Bafana rediscovering their potency in front of goal. The return of goal poacher Benni McCarthy and the emergence of Bernard Parker as a talented striker have played no small part in this turnaround.
But it's not just McCarthy and Parker's form that should leave fans satisfied. The whole team is looking more solid.
The midfield, for instance, is starting to look more settled. Central midfielder Teko Modise's tricky runs behind the strikers and sharp passes are no longer the only avenue to goal, as the speedy runs of Belgium-based Elrio van Heerden on the right wing and Kaizer Chiefs' Siphiwe Tshabalala on the left now provide an extra dimension in attack.
In addition, Kagiso Dikgacoi's rise as a quality defensive midfielder gives SA the ability to disrupt opposition attacks and distribute the ball to more attacking teammates. There is also healthy competition for spots in the starting line-up. The recall of Matthew Booth means that even Bafana's captain, Aaron Mokoena is not assured of a starting place, as he also has to compete with Nasief Morris for a place in central defence.
The same is true for other positions. Tshabalala has to tussle with Delron Buckley and Daine Klate on the left-wing.
The re-emergence of Siboniso Gaxa means that Bryce Moon has to fight for the right-back spot and Everton's Steven Pienaar can stand in for either Modise or Van Heerden in central or the right side of midfield. Even the free-scoring Parker and McCarthy have to compete with Thembinkosi "Terror" Fanteni and Phumelele "Ace" Bhengu for the strikers' berths.
Bafana may be a far stronger team than they were three years ago, but this does not mean they're a winning team just yet.
Only a good showing at the Confederations Cup will prove that they're ready to perform on the 2010 World Cup stage - with as little embarrassment to an expectant nation as possible.
