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ZIMBABWE’S flagship sporting team — the senior national football team are back in the hunt for a place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals scheduled for Morocco.
The Warriors, as the nation affectionately calls them, returned to action on Thursday with a Group J, qualifying game against Namibia in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Their 1-0 victory over Namibia, which is their first in the group, has had the whole nation buzzing with confidence that the national team could yet cross the line and advance to the biennial Nations Cup jamboree.
Zimbabwe’s win was also a first for new Warriors coach Michael Nees after he had presided over two goalless draws against Kenya and Cameroon in Kampala, Uganda.
That the win helped the Warriors into being overnight Group J leaders has also come with it an element of pressure from the fans and the national team’s various stakeholders including the football mother body ZIFA.
It is pressure that is premised on a huge wave of expectations with some already writing off Namibia and Kenya and installing the Warriors and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon as strong favourites to proceed to the Nations Cup jamboree.
The two top teams from each group qualify for the AFCON finals.
However, we call on ZIFA and the nation at large to avoid undue pressure on the Warriors and especially their new coach Nees.
Some critics have already drawn daggers against Nees questioning why his team won against Namibia without playing an exciting or beautiful brand of football.
It must, however, be noted that in tournament football and association football, a lot of factors impact on a national team’s fluidity.
We believe that the 57-year-old German, appointed in August and only presiding over his third and fourth games, should not be crucified on the basis that his Warriors laboured to victory in the first of their back-to-back clashes with Namibia.
Zimbabwe and Namibia will square off again on Monday night at the same Orlando stadium in Johannesburg and what the Warriors need most now is everyone’s unconditional support as they go about their business.
It is worrying that most of the criticism and doubts being directed at the coach and his team is that when they beat Namibia via a Khama Billiat penalty, they did it the ugly way.
But it can be argued through an old football adage that: “There is no ugly win in football”.
Nees probably summed it up well after Zimbabwe’s win over Namibia on Thursday when he said: “The game was no beauty contest. It was a hard fight that we had anticipated. Because there were no spectators allowed, we knew that it was going to be a fight; not a beauty contest, and at half-time we said okay, today we also had some technical mistakes, and let’s accept. We just have to win no matter how it looks,” said Nees.
To his credit, the coach has assembled a balanced squad in a very short period of time.
Before Nees’ arrival, the Warriors had lost their way, especially under Croat Zdravko Logarusic and subsequently under a series of interim coaches.
The Warriors no longer had a recognisable team and each Warriors selection had a mass number of changes from the previous match, as such coaches who included Sunday Chidzambwa, Brazilian Baltemar Brito, Norman Mapeza, and Jairos Tapera all handled the team at varying intervals. Barring injuries, there is continuity in the coach’s selection as we now have a substantive coach and a recognisable squad.
The coach appears to have players believing in his philosophies as testified by captain Marvelous Nakamba, his deputy Mashal Munetsi and senior players Khama Billiat and Washington Arubi.
That is a crucial development for any side to thrive and so far, Nees has established team unity.
ZIFA must now therefore back it up by playing their role from the administrative aspect of the game and ensure there are no glitches in camp and in the team’s travel, as they look to head to Uganda and Cameroon next month.
Although fans and pundits may be divided over the team’s playing style, what is clear to see is that the Warriors squad is united and giving their all for the coach.
Two draws and a win against opponents of such a stature like Kenya, Cameroon and Namibia should not be taken for granted considering where the Warriors are coming from.
It is a big statement the new coach is making.
Any team that doesn’t concede will always win most of the times.
The team has riches of attacking talent but pragmatism says you build the foundation first.
Focusing on defending when you have such an array of attacking talent looks surprising for some but you cannot succeed by just focusing on your strength alone.
The coach has made some bold calls. Drafting in Arubi and Billiat were masterstrokes and his substitutions in matches have been based on performance and not “star power” based on the reputation of players.
Nees’ current record of one win and two draws with no goals conceded is near perfect and would actually pass off as being excellent if one considers where the Warriors are coming from after the World Cup qualifying assignments against Lesotho and South Africa.
The coach inherited a losing team and has made good choices and needs to be backed over a longer run of games as he establishes his philosophies.
Of course, criticism where it is due and constructive is healthy.
But of late the Warriors have made the nation believe again and they could enhance their chances on Monday with a repeat victory over Namibia.
Online Reporter