dyton mupawaenda
Sharuko on Saturday
WHEN the final whistle was blown in Uyo on Tuesday night, amid a flood of Nigerian tears and a boulevard of Super Eagles heartbreaks, it left me battling with a cocktail of mixed emotion.
There was a sense of pride in the way the Warriors had battled their way back to get a point in what was quite a hostile atmosphere and a very tough battle.
There was a badge of honour in the way the Warriors gallantly fought for their share of the points with their steely determination encrypted in every nerve their bodies displayed in that brutal trench warfare.
There was a remarkable display of the Warrior spirit, the least which we demand from there, as they refused to be confined to defeat in a fiery battle which tested their physical condition to the limit.
There was even a beautiful exhibition of style in the way Tawanda Chirewa scored the goal which broke the Nigerian hearts.
He stole the ball from the feet of the hosts’ skipper and, without breaking stride, still found the presence of mind to realise that toe-poking it past the ‘keeper was the best avenue towards goal.
There was an amazing display of defiance in the way Washington Arubi repelled the Nigerian firestorm, in the opening minutes of that battle, in what was a redemption exercise for Sekuru Gudo after his howler against Benin.
To see the cocky Super Eagles suffer in their backyard, amid the civil war which exploded in their camp after the match, was quite refreshing given the way we have suffered at their hands in the past.
My colleague Charles Mabika even served a suspension from his job as a television commentator after he fell for the charms of Jay Jay Okocha as the Super Eagles embarrassed us at the National Sports Stadium two decades ago.
But, a part of me also didn’t find a reason for me to go on top of my house to celebrate the point we picked in Uyo.
That part of me felt disappointed that we hadn’t taken advantage of our best chance to beat these Super Eagles in their backyard for the first time in our history.
That part of me said that despite the superstar names in that Super Eagles squad, they were not a proper and balanced team and they were just a collection of players with huge egos and big reputations.
That part of me said this was a Super Eagles team which, in all fairness, was an insult to the reputation, as a fierce fighting force, which was created by the likes of Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu, Yekini, Finidi and company.
That part of me said this was just a loose coalition of players who were okay, playing for their European clubs, but were overwhelmed with wearing a jersey which has created its reputation, in the past, as an identity of both fighters and winners.
WE DROPPED TWO POINTS IN UYO
It was that part of me which said that back in the days when the Nigerians were real Super Eagles, they didn’t end up hiring a coach from Mali to guide them as is the case right now.
Their national team coach simply had to be Nigerian or, in the event that they couldn’t get someone among their 200 million people, they would go outside Africa to try and secure such expertise.
It’s that part of me which was disappointed with us picking just a point, instead of three, in Uyo and was also disappointed with us picking just a point, instead of three, against Benin.
Add four points to our tally and you will see the difference I am talking about.
We had the chances to win that match against Benin and we had the chances to win the match against the Nigerians and that we didn’t should be the starting point of our post-mortem instead of just celebrating the two points.
Bafana Bafana showed us that there is nothing special about Benin as they went to Abidjan and beat the West Africans 2-0 on Tuesday – scoring exactly the same number of goals we scored but, unlike us, they found a way to protect their goal.
Yes, the Arubi howler played a big part in us getting a point, instead of three, against Benin but the truth is also that, after we rallied back to equalise, we had some good chances to win the match.
That we didn’t is because we appeared to develop this attitude that a point was gold, given that we had been two goals down, when the reality was that a point was not even worth its weight in bronze.
We also had chances to win against Nigeria and that we didn’t do so should provide us with the data we need to examine and ensure that we reap what we deserve going forward.
There is no doubt that if we were playing at home we would be in a better position but it’s also true that Benin and Lesotho, who are also not playing at home, are better placed than us right now.
Benin beat Nigeria, in these World Cup qualifiers, in a home match they played in Abidjan.
We shouldn’t be celebrating picking a point against a Nigerian side which has yet to win at home in these World Cup qualifiers.
There is nothing special about the point we picked on Tuesday because even Lesotho went to Nigeria, in these World Cup qualifiers, and returned home with a point.
Bafana Bafana also went to Nigeria, in these World Cup qualifiers, and also returned home with a point.
For the record, all the three matches ended with the same scoreline – 1-1.
This is such a horrible Super Eagles team which has only won once in SIX World Cup qualifiers and if that doesn’t tell us that they have been there for the taking then probably nothing ever will.
This is a chaotic Super Eagles team that they now have a third coach taking charge of their World Cup qualifiers, at an average of a coach every two games, with others fired because they failed.
If these are not the symptoms of a hopeless Super Eagles side then probably we have blinded ourselves in our desperate search for comfort to justify why we should celebrate the point in Uyo.
TAWANDA AND TAWANDA ASSOCIATES
Michael Nees has done well since he took over the role of being the Warriors head coach – he has stabilised a team which was haemorrhaging under Jairos Tapera.
He has given the Warriors a competitive edge and our boys now plunge into battle without carrying the burden of fear.
The transformation of the Warriors is there for everyone to see and Nees also brings a sense of calm to the whole set-up, which filters to his players, and has helped them recover from difficult positions.
He is exactly the opposite of Reinhard Fabisch.
But, Nees has also shown that he has some limitations which he needs to deal with at this early stage of his romance with the Warriors for the sake of a better tomorrow.
We shouldn’t forget that Nees has won just two of his eight matches in charge and both victories came against one team – Namibia (1-0, via a penalty) and 3-1.
If we break it down, that represents a 45.83 percent return, in terms of the points which were available and those which we have won – 11 points out of 24.
But, qualifying battles are unlike league matches and it’s not really about the number of points but the position you are in, which matters.
And, what Nees has done very well is making his team a difficult one to beat as we have lost just once, a controversial 1-2 defeat in Cameroon, since he took over.
Five of the eight matches have ended in draws and that they have all been played away from home is a reflection of the good work he has done.
But, those draws also carry a huge message of how we are failing to convert a point into three points and that’s an area Nees should deal with and fix.
It’s hard for Nees to justify why Tawanda Chirewa and Tawanda Maswanhise are not making the starting XI when the two forwards offer the youthful enthusiasm, pace and X-Factor which our attack is desperately crying out for.
It’s likely Chirewa might not even have played in Uyo if Dzvukamanja had not been injured in the 80th minute and to give Maswanhise a combined 11 minutes of regulation time against Benin and Nigeria just doesn’t sound right.
Nees had a fallout with Chirewa in September last year when the young man reacted badly to the coach’s decision to substitute him against Kenya.
Chirewa’s reaction was wrong and he was punished by not starting the next match against Cameroon.
But that should be the end of the story and it’s difficult not to believe that the coach has forgotten about that episode.
We thought when Maswanhise scored the goal against Kenya, which took us to the AFCON finals, that was his breakthrough moment in terms of selection for the first XI.
We were wrong but that those who have been preferred are not really making any impact, while these boys rot on the bench, is something we should be discussing publicly.
Chirewa is 21 and Maswanhise is 22.
They are ripe enough to start for the Warriors, just the same way Relebohile Mofokeng, who is 20, is now ripe enough to start for Bafana Bafana.
Knowledge Musona’s return means that these young men now have a real father figure in the team, and in attack, to provide them with guidance of what must be done.
We need to make these boys feel special, feel loved and feel they are a big part of our project for us to get the best out of them.
We won’t get the best out of Maswanhise by limiting him to five minutes in Nigeria.
Tawanda and Tawanda Associates – it’s so good it even reads like the name of a law firm.
To God be the Glory!
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Khamaldhinoooooooooooooooooo!
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