Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees has hinted he will be sticking to his old horses in the run-up to the Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Morocco from December to early next year.
Zimbabwe will be part of the cast in North Africa but they have endured a nightmarish qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup going for eight games without a win.
They slid off contention last Friday when they lost 1-0 to Benin in Cote d’Ivoire before finishing the penultimate qualifying window with an identical loss to Rwanda and remained bottom of Group C with just eight points.
Nees’ boys were already in AFCON preparatory mood when they took to the pitch against Rwanda at Orlando Stadium in South Africa on Tuesday but despite putting on a decent show, they still came short.
The German gaffer handed full debuts to youngsters Prosper Padera and Thando Ngwenya who were equally decent before being subbed off.
Nees knows there won’t be many games the Warriors will play before plunging into the AFCON finals and he could shut the door for new faces in upcoming games.
“Look we had today (on Tuesday) again, two young players who we must also congratulate after playing for the senior team for the first time.
“We want to give players a chance, but we could also see that it is still a long way (for them).
“The national team level is is a little bit higher than some expect, and we definitely need now to maybe reduce a little bit, the group. and work and stop really to please everybody by always giving them time or testing.
“I think there are four games or five, maybe until the AFCON, we have no other game.”
Zimbabwe will play two more World Cup qualifiers against leaders South Africa and Lesotho next month.
South Africa, who have a healthY cushion over Nigeria and Benin in Group C and favourites to clinch the sole ticket to North America next year, are also in the same group with the Warriors at the AFCON finals.
The two Southern African neighbours will also face COSAFA rivals Angola and giants Egypt at the biennial jamboree.
And Nees said their opponents at the AFCON will play open football and Zimbabwe needed to be prepared for that.
“Next up will be South Africa, a strong, strong team. We must meet them again in the AFCON.
“The teams we are facing there are not teams which park the bus.
“Definitely the opponents we are facing, Egypt, South Africa and Angola will play a little bit more open game than these teams we’re facing now (in World Cup qualifiers).”
“That you have to work on, we dominated against Rwanda.
“That’s a good sign. We can really dominate the game completely, like in the second half (against Rwanda). But, of course, the finishing, the last touch, we have to improve.”
He also spoke about Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona.
“If you remember, when I came here, there were two players who I recalled.
“I think everybody who understands, you need such players, especially when the space gets tighter and tighter, who can make a difference in such situations.
“We don’t want to be on New Year’s Eve in the plane back home. We want to compete and go to the next round.”
