Zimbabwe Out Of Afcon 2017: 5 takeaways for the Warriors

Zimbabwe’s 2017 campaign ended last night with a 4-2 thrashing at the hands of Tunisa. The Warriors finished bottom of the Group B and with a single point from three games.

Here are three takeaways from the 4-2 defeat to Tunisia

‘Musona Is Absolute’

The sheer brilliance of his movement, a subliminal grade of passing, a shrewd technique, a hamstring, the petrifying AFCON goal, the assist and an ironic humble spirit combined to forge a forward who for two matches was sorely missed by his country.

‘Still No Plan B’

The way Calisto Pasuwa combined his resources in the first half lacked creative ingenuity. He should have seen that outside posibility of Kuda Mahachi coming on for Nyasha Mushekwi to bring pace and fluidity in assisting the movement of Khama Billiart and Knowledge Musona earlier on. He probably should have seen that possibility of Mahachi occupying the role on the wing and Musona moving to centre forward.

‘Katsande Strong At Tackling, Weak In Distribution’

Willard Katsande did not really make an impression in terms of ball distribution, an area which ultimately proved to be key in dictating the outcome of the match. He was strong committing into tackles, but lacked decisive influence with the ball on his feet.

‘ZIFA Has More To Work On’

Over the years, the association has come under criticism for its failure to address logistical woes surrounding the welfare of the players. This almost always takes a toll on the preparation and morale of ZIFA inexperienced teams at AFCON level.

ZIFA’s first allegiance is to the national teams and it is the responsibility of the national football governing body to clear a smooth ground, physically, emotionally and financially, on time, for the teams which will be facing other adequately prepared teams.

The Warriors – who rank 103 on FIFA World Rankings and ranked a distant lowest in AFCON 2017 group B – endured a shambolic psychological preparation to AFCON 2017, whose embarrassing results were evidence of problems revolving around lunches, accommodation and allowances.

‘Warriors Need A Winning Plan’

The Warriors come across as a group of talented players playing in different leagues across the world. They need to invent a working winning plan, where they come together and work on bonding and knowing each other better.

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