Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
RWANDA coach Adel Amrouche says he had sleepless nights trying to figure out how his defenders would have to deal with the threat posed by Knowledge Musona.
Amrouche, who has coached Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana in the past, says he rates Musona as the best footballer plying his trade on the African continent.
Amrouche has in the past tried to secure the job to coach the Warriors.
Yesterday, he masterminded a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.
The win gave his team a fighting chance to reach the global showpiece next year.
He said he was happy to have dragged his side over the line against a Zimbabwean team which he highly rates.
He confessed that he had sleepless nights after learning that the Scottland forward was in the team.
However his worries evaporated when he saw the former Warriors captain deployed in a deeper role partnering Marshall Munetsi and Prosper Padera in midfield.
Amrouche said: “I have this habit of playing against Zimbabwe and I know the quality of these players from a long time when I was in Burundi, Kenya and Botswana.
“When I saw Knowledge Musona on the field, I couldn’t sleep because I know that man can make it any time.
“And I was happy when I saw him playing at the back. But I know when you play Zimbabwe with all the quality, individual quality, what they have is for me something to be afraid of.
“And Knowledge is the best individual player on the continent, our continent.
“And really, yes, of course, we came for this game with the other approach, because we know the quality of my players.
“I don’t have a star but I try to build this group. It is not easy to play Zimbabwe with all that quality, with all that they have.
But, yeah, I can be happy now, because we won.”
Musona had a lot of input in yesterday’s match and he was also dangerous in attack, especially with set-pieces.
Three times, he could have provided assists had his teammates been effective in turning in crosses from corners and free-kicks.
At 35, Musona also looked very fit, even dropping into the defensive midfield positions when Padera was pulled out for Bill Antonio.
His output playing in that position was incredible with Warriors coach Michael Nees saying:
“Musona is one of the fittest players around at 35. I am very happy with what he put in the shift. I hope he continues like that.”
he was good at the set pieces but in the end his foot was tired. I am worried about how is he linking with the other players. He is still to adopt to the new players and style. If you look closely he is kind of taking back to the old style and this may be causing confusion and mediocrity. I think Benyu and Butholezwe Ncube have the attacking and defensive flair respectively that Nees needs in midfield.???? We have good strikers in Machope, Terrence, the Tawandas, and Prince. But other teams now know that you just have to shut Munetsi and Zemura to kill any meaningful attack. A fully fit Billiat would have helped matters in both games rather than relying on free kicks into the box.