Why Pasuwa didn’t play Deco . . . reflects on loss
WARRIORS coach Callisto Pasuwa says he tried not to give too much information to the opponents before their showdown against Senegal, but that still didn’t stop the classy Lions of Teranga here on Thursday night.
Pasuwa did not reveal that Danny “Deco” Phiri had picked a knee injury and his absence meant Marvelous Nakamba had to play in a deep role along with skipper Willard Katsande.
Striker Nyasha Mushekwi agreed with his coach that they probably lost to the best team at the AFCON finals.
“Yeah, it was a bruising battle. We tried the best we could, but we didn’t concentrate in the first 15 minutes,” said Mushekwi.
“Then they got those two unfortunate goals and it was difficult from then onwards. Physically, they were stronger than us. We tried our best, but we couldn’t get a result. We now look forward to the next game.
“They are a good team and they are number one in Africa for a reason. They are up there for a reason and you saw that against us.”
The Warriors had promised much against Algeria, but faced a reality check against Africa’s best.
“The way they were moving, this time around, was kind of different from the first game,” said Mushekwi.
“It was difficult for us to try and track them around because everybody was just everywhere. So they played much better than us. Yes, definitely against Tunisia, we have to win the game.”
Skipper Willard Katsande said the Lions of Teranga did their homework on the Warriors.
“Obviously, they did their homework. About how we play, we are having a problem because we are conceding goals so easily especially during the critical stages of the game which is the early stages of the game.
“The day we are going to resist and keep a clean sheet in the first 45 minutes, I think we are going to play freely and win matches. Obviously, this game was tough. We gave it our best, but our best was not good enough. There is no time to cry. We need to lift ourselves up and fight to get a result.”
Katsande believes they have to look into the future.
“We still have a game against Tunisia and we need to give everything in order to fulfil our dream of reaching the group stages,” said Katsande. “We need to go to the drawing board. “This is an important learning curve for us. We have to simply prepare well for the next game.
“The first game, nobody new about us, but the second game was more tactical. Like I said, it was just one of those days when we had a bad day in office.” WARRIORS coach Callisto Pasuwa is not throwing in the towel in his search for a place in the knockout phase of the 2017 Nations Cup finals.
His men were outclassed by a rampant Senegal on Thursday night, but Pasuwa remains hopeful.
“We were unsettled in the first 10 minutes. We tried to come back, but we could not win the game. We have learnt our lesson and we will take that to the next match,” said Pasuwa.
“We are still favourites. Like I said, the two quick goals unsettled us. Most of the time they were holding the ball they were jittery.
“Had it not been about those two goals maybe we could have seen better football.
“It was the first two goals and they were very physical. It’s important that we win the last game. We played two games and have seen our weaknesses.
“Now we need to try and avoid some of the mistakes that we made in the last two games. There is still a chance.”
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was delighted with his side’s victory.
“The most important thing is that we won the match. It was an expectation from our country and we are happy we won.
“It’s not a work that started today. All these players started a long time ago. It is the golden generation of Senegal. What we need to do now is to change the mindset.
“It is also not about ball control, but we have to try and uplift the level of African football.
“The last match will be as important as the first one. I have never doubted the quality of my players. They are starting to put pressure on themselves which is something that we want to work on.”
The Warriors now shift base from Franceville to Libreville for the last group match against Tunisia.
“We can’t change what happened in the past. What we can only change is the future which is the game against Tunisia,” said Katsande.
“We owe the fans a win. After what we showed them against Algeria, I’m sure they were not expecting this.
“We will pick ourselves up and try to find our way in the next encounter. We need them to support the team.
“I know there will be a lot of criticism, but at the end, the most important thing will be to support the team and avoid a lot and negativity.” IN the cloud of darkness that enveloped the Warriors camp following their defeat by Senegal, a ray of hope filtered through with news that talismanic striker Knowledge Musona has made significant progress towards recovery and is closer to being fit again to face Tunisia on Monday.
The Warriors face the Carthage Eagles in their final Group B assignment at the Stade de l’Amitié in Libreville on Monday night, the same time that group leaders Senegal will square off against thirdplaced Algeria in Franceville.
And, after an indifferent show against Senegal on Thursday night, the Warriors now need nothing sort of a victory over Tunisia while also hoping that the Teranga Lions hand them a huge favour by keeping their 100 percent record intact with a win over Algeria.
Those hopes have been boosted by the pace at which Musona has been healing with team doctor Nicholas Munyonga confirming from Libreville yesterday that the KV Oostende striker has resumed light training and is being closely monitored.
“There has been significant progress towards recovery for him. The scan that was done did not show any tear. We remain hopeful that he will be able to play on Monday as he has since started light training under observation.
“He started the light training on Wednesday,’’ Munyonga said.
Musona lasted just 12 minutes of action in the opening game against Algeria, which the Warriors drew 2-2 with the striker limping off following a right hamstring injury.
In his absence, the Warriors have clearly struggled in their attack where coach Callisto Pasuwa has seen the forwards fail to put away the chances that come their way.
The Warriors also seemed to struggle to find someone to turn to when Khama Billiat was frozen out by the big Senegalese defenders and Musona’s imminent return could provide a refreshing attacking prowess that Pasuwa’s men badly need.
As the Warriors flew into Libreville late yesterday afternoon for their final group game, Pasuwa challenged his players to rise from the disappointment of their timid performance against Senegal and fight for their lives in the must win match against Tunisia.
Pasuwa, who has also been doing a lot of soul searching, said while they were disappointed by their game against Senegal, the Warriors needed to quickly put that nightmarish encounter behind them and focus on the last group assignment.
The 46-year-old coach insisted that the match against Senegal “was just a bad day in the office’’ and not a reflection of their battling qualities and pedigree.
“We were punished for the mistakes that we made in the first few minutes and after that we panicked badly.
“But I have been telling them that we just have to pick ourselves up and fight harder for our next game.
“I have told them to keep believing in ourselves. We can’t suddenly be bad a team overnight,’’ said Pasuwa.
The former Dynamos coach said his side had “learnt the hard way’’ and would return to action on Monday, a much better outfit.
Team manager Sharif Mussa also weighed in with the chorus to psyche the players and rallied them to show character by turning disappointment into joy in their next assignment.
“It was a tough match. It was unfortunate that we conceded early and that unsettled us especially the second goal coming so soon after the first one. We only settled late.
“Now we must up the tempo in all areas and stay focused and make sure we convert our chances when we play Tunisia,’’ Mussa said.
Although they are in dire need of win against the Carthage Eagles, the Warriors would also have to be more compact against the Tunisians who forced their way back into the reckoning with a 2-1 win over Algeria earlier on Thursday.
While the Warriors lost their tactical discipline against Senegal, they would also need the right mental strength when they face Tunisia and Pasuwa’s men would have to relive some of the basics that formed their solid show against Algeria — teamwork.
The Senegalese also taught them a lesson or two about team effort with the way the Teranga Lions executed their transition and utilised a turnover of possession and in the end statistics showed they had 58 percent share of the ball and 24 attempts with nine of the shots on target while the Warriors managed just three on target.
Senegal striker Mame Biram Diouf noted as much when telling BBC that unlike in previous campaigns the Class of 2017 was playing more as a unit.
To underline their strength and resurgence that has seen them shoot to the top of the African rankings, Senegal have lost just once, albeit in controversial circumstances, in their last 12 internationals since March 29 last year.
The only reverse that the resurgent West African giants suffered was a 1-2 defeat against South Africa in a 2018 World Cup qualifier away in Polokwane on November 12 in a match in which Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey, who was later suspended
— AFP by the Confederation of African Football for three months, took centre stage by awarding the hosts a dubious penalty.
Diouf attributed their resurgence to playing with the right mentality and as a team. Senegal have been solid at this Nations Cup and have yet to concede a goal at the tournament, having beaten Tunisia 2-0 in the opener and are in the last eight for the first time since 2006.
They also beat DRC by a similar margin in their final warm-up match on January 11 before they flew to Gabon
That they have advanced to the Nations Cup quarter-finals with a group game to spare suggests that they may live up to their potential at these finals — something that has not always been the case.
Senegal have been criticised in the past for appearing to lack cohesion and being too individualistic.
But Diouf told BBC Sport that they have had to address the issue of mentality and believes they are now seeing the benefit of a change in attitude.
“We now have the mentality where we try to achieve as a team.”
While Senegal may have the luxury of resting some of the key players, the Warriors, the Carthage Eagles and the Desert Foxes do not have such latitude and for Zimbabwe, maybe Musona’s return might just be the tonic that Pasuwa’s men needed to turn around their campaign.