Micho, Amrouche lock horns
Botswana Vs Zambia game of tactics
FOOTBALL
As the Africa Cup of Nations ( Afcon) qualifiers take center stage, Zambia and Botswana will slug it out, with both teams under the tutelage of European coaches, who have made a mark in the African continent.
It will come out of the same old playbook, a battle of the coaches: destabilize, antagonize and strategize. Serbian born Coach Milutin Sredojević will lead the Zambian National team against Belgian Coach Adel Amrouche of Botswana, a battle that will be echoed from Europe to Africa.
The electrifying 2021 Afcon qualifiers fixtures between Botswana and Zambia, which are going to be played back to back on November 9th and November 17th, will boil down to who has the football brains between the two coaches.
Tactical advantage will be pivotal in this fixture; between the two coaches, Micho as Sredojević is known in the football circles, has proven to be tactically ahead and shoulders above the Zebras coach , Amrouche. The well versed coach has in a number of occasions displayed his affluent tactics.
His tactical advantage has played out while he was at the helm of Uganda and Orlando Pirates. Even in Zambia it continues to show; Micho has explored his tactical gifts, his play is characterized by building up from the back with fast diagonal movements by attackers while in the final third.
His players always find pockets of spaces behind defenders, creating room for the late arriving players to pounce on ample opportunities that the team creates. His defending mainly depends on the amount of dominance they attain in attacking areas. As for Amrouche, the coach has showcased that he can work with whatever he has in his fold. Since joining the Zebras, he has been embracing a rather defensive approach to his game with limited and not full of twists and turns movements upfront like his opponents. Amrouche plays power play which depends on good transitional play from defense to attack; his players are demanded to play a lot of long balls
GAME OF TACTICS… Adel Amrouche’s Afcon qualifier next month.
outmettle will be tested when the Zebras meet Chipolopolo in a 2021
wide to target speedy wingers who will then serve the attackers in front of goal.
Interestingly, player management will also have an impact in the outcome of the game as both coaches will use their influence to turnaround this fixture, and with lots of talented and technically gifted players in his team, Micho will need a special kind of management to maintain highly competitive individuals. As for Amrouche he has tried to instill discipline in his team so he can manage his players better. The gaffer, with his management skills, will have a bunch of individuals grinding out the work under his instructions.
The coach has in the past dealt with world class players who some are now playing their trade in Europe. While Micho has recently spent a lot of time with his players in the Zambian camp, Amrouche has been away. He joined the team just a few weeks ago and that might prove important for the Zambian coach who has been in Zambia watching his players progress while he made necessary assessments. The Zambia players have been active while most of Botswana players haven’t competently kicked the skin in nearly 8 months. This could be an advantage for coach Micho and can make the Zebras inferior foes.