Cranes: It is all in the head

For Bobby Williamson what was visible was despair, but beneath the surface must have been that eerie déjà vu feeling as Chris Katongo stole in to score Zambia’s solitary goal in Ndola Saturday afternoon.

In interviews prior to the first leg of this 2013 Nations Cup qualifier, the Uganda Cranes coach had underlined the importance of concentration. And yet in a cruel quirk of fate it was a momentary lapse that let the reigning African champions through in an otherwise impressive overall performance that could have, with a slight twist, produced a truly famous result.

That truly famous result can still be achieved where and when it will most matter, and Williamson’s previous choice of words is a clear indicator that the preparations for that are going to have to be more mental than physical, the understanding of the dynamics of the mission more crucial than the formations and tactics deployed on that day in October. It is not just the goal that Uganda conceded that makes this point, more so the way the Zambians dealt with the scoreline and the clock.

Having strutted confidently at the start as they probed for openings through the thick, multi-layered wall erected by an ultra-defensive Cranes, the Chipolopolo gradually allowed seeds of doubt and desperation to creep into their game as the minutes ticked away and prospects of a resounding victory grew ever slimmer.

Perennial campaigners at highest level and therefore a team that had been in this situation countless times, the Zambians still fell prey to circumstances as whatever game plan Herve Renard had spelt out went through the window; the substitutions seemed hurried, the trademark sleek passing moves continuously interrupted prematurely by desperate shots from a long way out which were never going to bother Dennis Onyango in Uganda’s goal. With more than just the customary two weeks between legs, Williamson has plenty of time to pick his words carefully and wisely to impress upon his boys what the game in Namboole holds.

This is not a two-goal hunt as the mathematics rightly suggest, but a quest to take the lead at all costs. If the Cranes go ahead in the return leg, the pre-game drilling must have prepared them to exploit one of two inevitable reactions – persistent attacks which will leave Zambia vulnerable to well executed breaks, or mental disintegration and an invitation to go for the jugular.

mmssali@yahoo.com
@markssali on twitter