That’s not good enough, boys!

21 Oct, 2018 - 00:10 0 Views
That’s not good enough, boys!

The Sunday Mail

ON the evening of 19 January 2017, at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, Senegalese coach Aliou Cisse described the Warriors as technically gifted but tactically naïve at crucial times.
The Lions of Terenga had just dispatched the Warriors 2-0 at the Stade de Franceville and Cisse was asked about his thoughts on a Zimbabwean team that sort to play an open game and conceded twice in the opening 13 minutes.

“They have technically gifted players but maybe their tactics were not really perfect,” said the Senegalese coach who had Sadio Mane (9) and Henri Saivet (13) on the scoresheet.

That Cisse assessment came some 640 days ago but is difficult to ignore as the Warriors stand a point away from bagging a ticket to the fourth Afcon finals.
Has Zimbabwe taken steps to become tactically astute, have they evolved into a team that can win a game of small margins on such a grand stage as the Afcon finals?

The above questions are pertinent because Sunday Chidzambwa and his men need to be reminded that Afcon qualification is good but no longer good enough.

The days of going to the table where African football aristocrats dine once every two years and returning hungry but claiming to have learnt a lot are long gone.

Qualifying for the Afcon knock out stages must be the bare minimum expected of the Warriors, anything lesser will be inexcusable, treasonous even.

It is a sign of heightened expectations that the Warriors’ last two Afcon qualifications (2006 and 2017) were not greeted with the same delirium that erupted when the 2004 ticket was secured.

It is a sign of heightened expectations that Kallisto Pasuwa lost his job last year after failing to take the team into the last eight of Africa’s blue ribband football competition.

It cannot be business as usual at Afcon 2019.

All the boxes must be ticked and that should start with basics such as how the national team dresses.

Unbranded and uninspiring are words that can best describe the kit the Warriors are using in this Afcon qualifying campaign.

The boys are not really pleased with the kit but they have somehow grown to believe that it’s their good luck charm.

Chances are they will want to complete the qualification journey with their “totem less kit” but certainly won’t be too eager to wear it in Cameroon.

Zifa must make sure that the Warriors dress like the country’s national football team, not a social outfit that plays for teams such as XI Quarts or Madhara XI.

Whoever argues that looks don’t matter in this business needs to have their head examined because companies like Adidas and Puma are in the business of giving teams the winning look.

Away from the adminstartive issues, Chidzambwa needs to keep abreast with the latest trends in the game and will require all the help he can get.

The Warriors gaffer has made some shocking selection calls this qualification campaign and while he rightly notes that he cannot please us all, there some questions that need to be asked and answered.

Is he obliged to choose players from Yadah Stars because Walter Magaya houses the Warriors and transports them too?

It’s difficult to understand how Leeroy Mavunga, a much hyped player who however fails to live up to expectations in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer

League, can make the Warriors bench.

Poor Thabani Kamusoko, who played a blinder when Zimbabwe got their campaign off to a flyer with a 3-0 home win over Liberia, must be wondering what Mavunga has that he does not have.
Anointing oil maybe?

 

The fact that Byron Madzokere is deemed national team material while Gift Bello and Peter Muduhwa never get call ups is bewildering.

As the clock ticks towards Afcon 2019, it will be unreasonable to expect Chidzambwa to attempt fixing what is working by making wholesale changes to the team.

However, his selection net must be cast wider and players must make the team on merit and not based on the distance covered to make camp.
The “distance covered” approach benefitted one lucky lad called Lucky Nkosana ahead of the trip to Congo Brazzaville.

It certainly cannot be business as usual for both Zifa and the technical team because good is no longer good enough for the Warriors.

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