Sports / Soccer
Zimbabwe Warriors face a mountain to climb at Afcon
28 Dec 2016 at 18:14hrs | Views
A lot has been said and done about the national team the Warriors. This tournament in Gabon we qualified with a game to spare when Zambia and Nigeria failed to qualify.
However the question remains about our coach who only has domestic experience as compared to his opposition coaches like Avram Grant Head Coach of Ghana who once guided Chelsea to European UEFA Champions League finals.
COACHES AT AFCON 2017
Gabon - Jose Antonio Camacho (Spain)
Morocco - Herve Renard (France)
Algeria - Georges Leekens (Belgium)
Cameroon - Hugo Broos (Belgium)
Burkina Faso - Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
Tunisia - Henryk Kasperczak (Poland)
Ivory Coast - Michel Dussuyer (France)
Togo - Claude Le Roy (France)
Uganda - Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic (Serbia)
Ghana - Avram Grant (Israel)
Mali - Alain Giresse (France)
Egypt - Hector Cuper (Argentina)
Zimbabwe - Callisto Pasuwa (Zimbabwe)
Guinea Bissau - Baciro Cande (Guinea Bissau)
Senegal - Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
D.R.C - Florent Ibenge (D.R.C)
As you can see the list has experienced coaches like Claude Le Roy from France and Hector Cuper from Argentina.
Like i said in our previous articles, it will be total war with Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia. Algeria has Sulimani, Mahrez who won the EPL title last season with his platinum touch on the ball which really threatens the Warriors defence at the tournament. With Costa Nhamoinesu, we have a World Class defender who can compete with the likes of Virgil van Dyk who plays for Southampton. Will again Costa be able to shackle Mane who is a threat for Senegal. The only team which currently does not have star players but has a competitive team that plays as a unit is Tunisia.
The disadvantage these teams have is that they have the history of either playing in France or are still plying their trades there. The only player who is playing for a top club in this group is Riyad Mahrez who plays for Leicester City in England.
Ziimbabwe Football association has through its High Perfomance Committee (HPC) has called upon the experience of Sunday Chidzambwa, Rahman Gumbo and Lloyd Chitembwe to assist as part of the technical team tasked to think tactics against the tough opposition.
This is a great idea but i think the timing has provoked ill feelings from football fans across Zimbabwe. Like they say its over until the 31st of December and it seems things have changed for the better or worse as the year draws its curtains down to the new era in Zimbabwe football.
This has not been received quite well like the Bond notes, but as we know in Zimbabwe, we thrive on things that are imposed on us unlike things that we decide as a nation.
Football unites the nation and the politians use football to infiltrate and influence their political prowess by sponsoring and controlling the national team.
The question that still remains is which philosophy or style of play or football identity(DNA) will they use at this top stage in African football.
We have no doubt we have quality players in Billiat, Musona, Mukuruva, Katsande and Nhamoinesu who currently won the Africa Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns.
There is the feeling that this is a golden generation that has revived our Dream Team which once shone the Zimbabwe football with 13 matches unbeaten run under the tutelage of the late German Reinhard Fabisch in the late 90s.
This tournament will rekindle the memories of Oman Biyik, P'unde, Bocande, Mboma and the Hassan brothers from Egypt who denied our nation the glory we had so much waited for since independence only to be denied last minute in France.
On the 15th January 2017, Zimbabwe Warriors will know how far they have travelled in football development. We hope one day our iTouch football will come of age and revive our football dream.
Lord Morris Kakunguwo,UK Based Entreprenuer, Founder and CEO of Zimbabwe Football Development Academy-Centre of Football Excellence 2014, Zimbabwe Football Philosopher, iTouch Guru, FA Coach and Life Mentor. Feel free to email feedback on itouchfootball.zfda@gmail.com
However the question remains about our coach who only has domestic experience as compared to his opposition coaches like Avram Grant Head Coach of Ghana who once guided Chelsea to European UEFA Champions League finals.
COACHES AT AFCON 2017
Gabon - Jose Antonio Camacho (Spain)
Morocco - Herve Renard (France)
Algeria - Georges Leekens (Belgium)
Cameroon - Hugo Broos (Belgium)
Burkina Faso - Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
Tunisia - Henryk Kasperczak (Poland)
Ivory Coast - Michel Dussuyer (France)
Togo - Claude Le Roy (France)
Uganda - Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic (Serbia)
Ghana - Avram Grant (Israel)
Mali - Alain Giresse (France)
Egypt - Hector Cuper (Argentina)
Zimbabwe - Callisto Pasuwa (Zimbabwe)
Guinea Bissau - Baciro Cande (Guinea Bissau)
Senegal - Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
D.R.C - Florent Ibenge (D.R.C)
As you can see the list has experienced coaches like Claude Le Roy from France and Hector Cuper from Argentina.
Like i said in our previous articles, it will be total war with Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia. Algeria has Sulimani, Mahrez who won the EPL title last season with his platinum touch on the ball which really threatens the Warriors defence at the tournament. With Costa Nhamoinesu, we have a World Class defender who can compete with the likes of Virgil van Dyk who plays for Southampton. Will again Costa be able to shackle Mane who is a threat for Senegal. The only team which currently does not have star players but has a competitive team that plays as a unit is Tunisia.
The disadvantage these teams have is that they have the history of either playing in France or are still plying their trades there. The only player who is playing for a top club in this group is Riyad Mahrez who plays for Leicester City in England.
Ziimbabwe Football association has through its High Perfomance Committee (HPC) has called upon the experience of Sunday Chidzambwa, Rahman Gumbo and Lloyd Chitembwe to assist as part of the technical team tasked to think tactics against the tough opposition.
This is a great idea but i think the timing has provoked ill feelings from football fans across Zimbabwe. Like they say its over until the 31st of December and it seems things have changed for the better or worse as the year draws its curtains down to the new era in Zimbabwe football.
This has not been received quite well like the Bond notes, but as we know in Zimbabwe, we thrive on things that are imposed on us unlike things that we decide as a nation.
Football unites the nation and the politians use football to infiltrate and influence their political prowess by sponsoring and controlling the national team.
The question that still remains is which philosophy or style of play or football identity(DNA) will they use at this top stage in African football.
We have no doubt we have quality players in Billiat, Musona, Mukuruva, Katsande and Nhamoinesu who currently won the Africa Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns.
There is the feeling that this is a golden generation that has revived our Dream Team which once shone the Zimbabwe football with 13 matches unbeaten run under the tutelage of the late German Reinhard Fabisch in the late 90s.
This tournament will rekindle the memories of Oman Biyik, P'unde, Bocande, Mboma and the Hassan brothers from Egypt who denied our nation the glory we had so much waited for since independence only to be denied last minute in France.
On the 15th January 2017, Zimbabwe Warriors will know how far they have travelled in football development. We hope one day our iTouch football will come of age and revive our football dream.
Lord Morris Kakunguwo,UK Based Entreprenuer, Founder and CEO of Zimbabwe Football Development Academy-Centre of Football Excellence 2014, Zimbabwe Football Philosopher, iTouch Guru, FA Coach and Life Mentor. Feel free to email feedback on itouchfootball.zfda@gmail.com
Source - Lord Morris Kakunguwo
