‘Warriors can go beyond group stage’

30 Dec, 2016 - 00:12 0 Views
‘Warriors can go beyond group stage’

The ManicaPost

Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter —
SOCCER pundits and fans in Mutare strongly believe that the Warriors’ Class of 2017 has the depth in talent and fortitude to go beyond the group stage when the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon get underway in a fortnight.

Zimbabwe, who are in Group B together with Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia – largely viewed as the tournament’s group of death –  began their preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in earnest with a spirited goalless draw against Ivory Coast in Abidjan on Boxing Day.

The Warriors are now scheduled to take on Cameroon on January 10 before they travel to Gabon for the finals which start four days later.

There are plans for the team to take on South Africa, Egypt and Libya but the dates for those matches are yet to be confirmed.

However, fans interviewed by this newspaper expressed confidence that Pasuwa’s men can go beyond the group stage.

“I think we have a good squad that can go all the way. I do not see them faltering at the group stages. They are capable of going beyond that. Luck is also a principle is every sporting genre and I think Pasuwa has it too,” said James Lunga Meya, a Mutare born, South African based entrepreneur who has assisted a number of local players.

Lunga said the team is getting sound preparations in friendly matches which give them a good chance of making an impact.

“I think the team is getting sound preparations in the form of friendly matches that they are playing. This gives them a good chance of making an impact at the tournament. These are the things that we have been complaining about all along and it appears the powers that be have made amends,” he said.

Warriors’ High Performance Committee member Masimba Chihowa was also of the opinion that the Warriors have what it takes to go beyond the group stage.

“Yes, we are in what many perceive as the group of death but I think we can stand the heat. All that we needed were sound preparations something that I think we are getting now by way of friendly matches. I see us going beyond the group stages,” said Chihowa.

In the friendly match against Ivory Coast, Warriors coach Calisto Pasuwa was forced to travel with a squad made up of locally-based players as the rest of the contingent on his provisional roster still had club commitments in Europe and South Africa.

Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha are among the England-based contingent named in a provisional Ivory Coast squad ahead of next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Head coach Michel Dussuyer unveiled an initial 24-man travelling party on Wednesday (28 December) expected to assemble in Abu Dhabi on 2 January for a 10-day pre-tournament training camp.

United boss Jose Mourinho always knew that he would lose his influential £30m ($36.8m) summer signing for AFCON, but will be eager to keep a close eye on his progress. Bailly missed six weeks of action due to knee ligament damage sustained during a 4-0 thrashing  by Chelsea earlier this season and gave further cause for concern by injuring his other knee on only his third appearance back against Crystal Palace.

He sat out the subsequent defeat of West Brom and was later omitted from the Boxing Day clash with Sunderland despite returning to training as Mourinho, no doubt wary of his imminent departure, opted to keep faith in Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo. The manager had previously revealed that Bailly’s latest problem was not as serious as first feared and did not require surgery.

Zaha will be bidding to win his first Ivory Coast cap in Gabon, with the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) having last month submitted a request to Fifa regarding a switch of his international allegiance.

The 24-year-old, born in Abidjan, represented England at U19 and U21 level before making two senior appearances against Sweden and Scotland. He remained eligible for the switch due to the fact that both of the aforementioned fixtures were friendlies rather than competitive matches.

It was reported earlier this week that Three Lions’ boss Gareth Southgate had met with Zaha, who has once again been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the January transfer window, to attempt to dissuade him against such a U-turn, although those appeals appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Joining Bailly and Zaha in Dussuyer’s squad are Sunderland defender Lamine Kone, Stoke City loanee Wilfried Bony, Bournemouth’s Max Gradel and Aston Villa forward Jonathan Kodjia. Chelsea midfielder Victorien Angban, currently on a season-long loan with La Liga outfit Granada, also makes the cut alongside ex-Blues stalwart Salomon Kalou.

Former captain Yaya Toure announced his retirement from international football in September after 12 years, 113 games and three World Cups. Current skipper Gervinho misses out after undergoing surgery on ruptured cruciate ligaments last month.

The only foreign-based player in the team which travelled to Ivory Coast was Djurgardens IF striker Tino Kadewere, who started up front for the Warriors.

Ivory Coast are the defending Africa Cup of Nations champions after finally ending their 23-year wait for a second title courtesy of a 9-8 penalty shootout victory over Ghana in 2015.

With their training camp beginning next week and the latest edition of the competition not scheduled to finish until 5 February, another run to the final could see Bailly, Zaha and co absent from domestic duties for up to six weeks.

The Elephants kick-off their Group A campaign against Togo in Oyem on 16 January before fixtures with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Morocco.

Elephants coach Michel Dussuyer was also forced to use only local players as the rest of his squad ply their trade across Europe.

The home side wasted a good chance to win the match when they were awarded an 86th minute penalty which was saved by Warriors keeper Donovan Bernard.

Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads the cast for Gabon as the hosts became the first team to name their final 2017 Afcon squad.

Gabon has also named Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong despite the player being left out of November’s World Cup qualifier in Mali.

Ndong was in the capital city Libreville but failed to turn up for international duty ahead of the Mali game last month, forcing the Gabonese Football Federation (Fegafoot) to send him back to England.

But a remorseful Ndong, who held clear-the-air talks with Fegafoot has been included in a 23-man Panthers squad.

Other names to make the final party include Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina, Bruno Ecuélé Manga of Cardiff City and China-based striker Malick Evouna.

One of Zimbabwe’s rivals in Group B, Tunisia’s national football team, started training on Sunday for the African Cup of Nations which is set to kick off in Gabon on January 14th.

The Carthage eagles have lined up two friendly matches against the Catalonia and the Basque select sides in Spain.

They north African nation will then host Uganda which qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1978 on January 4th in Tunis.

“We can say that they (local players) are fairly stable, they play regularly, I choose the best, but for foreign players, maybe it will change. Some have lost their places in the clubs, they are not always playing or they rarely play,” said Tunisian national football team coach Henryk Kasperczak.

The Tunisian team, which has had a succesful run of ten matches without defeat, will play its final preparatory match against Egypt in Cairo on January 8, before flying out to Gabon on January 11.

The Carthage eagles is placed in Group B in the tournament and will play its first match against Senegal on 15th January before facing its north African neighbour Algeria on January 19th and later Zimbabwe on 23rd January 2017.

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