‘Is this the best Zimbabwe has to offer?’

Zimbabwe have won the youth challenge before and have almost always finished in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Zimbabwe were knocked out in the group stages of the competition after a draw against Namibia (1-1), losing to Angola 2-3 and coming from 5-1 down to Madagascar to draw.
Their performance at this year’s edition of the championship was nothing short of shoddy. Lack of preparation was evident in both the players and the technical team as from their first match to the last, they did not gel.

Preparations
Zimbabwe had all the time to prepare  for the competition as it was announced months in advance. But Zifa left it to  the last minute to prepare for the competition with financial constraints being the main excuse.
Countries such as Zambia, who were the eventual champions, took the tournament seriously. They had regular training camps which were one week each month until  their camp weeks before they left for Botswana.

Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Botswana and Malawi are some of the few teams   that played as a unit showing that they had time to come up with winning combinations.
Zimbabwe players were given nine days to train with Zifa communications manager Nichollete Moyo-Dlamini saying the delay in starting the camp would not affect the players as the coach had worked with them before.
“It would depend on the players that the coaches selected. If they have a team with a lot of new faces then it might affect them,” she said.

The Young Warriors could not complete more than five passes before they gave away possession. Their defence was the worst of the lot at most times leaving the  goalkeeper exposed. Twice Zimbabwe                took the lead against Angola and Madagascar and twice those teams came from behind to level.

Team Selection
Taurai Mangwiro and Mandla Mpofu, the two coaches in charge of the Young Warriors, were given very little time to select their players.
They did not have the time to select a strong squad that would emulate their predecessors who have in the past given even the best teams a tough time.
Zimbabwe football legend Ian Gorowa, who is the chief scout at Mamelodi Sundowns, was not impressed with Zimbabwe’s performance at the tournament.

“My question is whether this is the best Zimbabwe has to offer? Zimbabwe has always produced the best in junior football and even though they do not make it, you are left with a couple of players that you can single out as having performed well. This year it’s difficult,” he said.
Two players from the Zimbabwe team were singled out as having “tried” to bring the team together, Kudakwashe Mahachi and Ronald Chitiyo.

“It was much easier to see the outstanding players from other countries but with Zimbabwe it was very difficult. It could be their preparations which were short or other factors such as the selection but I want to believe that this was not the best Zimbabwe had to offer,” he said.
Gorowa said if structures were put in place in every province to widen the selection of players, coaches would not have a problem.
“There should be structures in every province with a coach that will assist with the selection of the players. It would also make it easier for the coaches because the people in those areas will select the best,” he said.

Performance
Mangwiro probably thought that if they controlled the midfield then they would have the chance of making it to the semis.
He congested his midfield and made use of two defenders, Proud Zireni and Edwin Nkomo, with goalkeeper Tonderai Mateyaunga being last in the line.

While his strategy could have worked with senior players, Gorowa believes that Mangwiro should have used a simpler formation for the young players.
“You could tell the formations of some teams but Zimbabwe had a rather complicated one. For young players it is always wise to use the 4-4-2 as that is what they are used to,” he said.

Most of the time the defence failed to clear, leaving the goalkeeper exposed and their opponents enough room to score. Zimbabwe’s performance against Madagascar improved in the second half.
At half time they were 4-1 down and a minute into the second half Madagascar scored the fifth.
However, with determination they slowly crept back into the match and got four more goals.

Way Forward
Zifa officials who had attended the Cosafa elections conceded that there was a problem and that they had to find a solution.
“There is a need to spread the selection of the players so that we have a broader base. We will have to sit down and discuss it with all the stakeholders,” said Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.