Wasswa: Chan polished my defensive game

Uganda Cranes' humiliating Chan group exit was a display laced with abundant promise for defenders.

None espoused that fighting and composed demeanour more than KCCA center back Geoffrey Wasswa who played the entire 270 minutes in Algeria last week.

Wasswa cut an impressive figure as the defence commander and the team libero especially in the 0-0 with DR Congo on January 14 and 1-0 triumph over Senegal four days later.

In the city of Annaba for those two matches, Wasswa was calm, measured, threw his body on the line and hardly put a foot wrong.

Hell broke loose in the decisive match against Ivory Coast in Algiers when his defensive partnership with Gift Fred was ripped into threads and breached in the 3-1 loss.

"The first goal (on 12 minutes) was a set piece situation that we failed to handle better," Wasswa said.

"(Striker) Frank (Ssebuufu) could have blocked the initial ball but he mistimed it and the striker (Karamoko Sankara) caught us unawares inside the box to head in," he told Daily Monitor as the team returned on Thursday morning.

Wasswa reveals that the speed of the Ivorians manifested in the second goal by Ivorian forward Vignon Ouotro who lashed onto a defence splitting pass to finish off an uninterrupted, caught them napping.

" The pitches in Algeria are so pristine compared to ours here. The game was one of high intensity and the ball moved fast.

That said, the most challenging team in the entire Chan adventure was the 1-1 friendly match against Cameroon in Tunis.They were strong and full on pace and gave us a tense afternoon," he added.

Ivory Coast's third goal late on after Moses Waiswa's penalty had halved the lead, showed Wasswa's trade and the Gift partnership is still work in progress.

Karamoko's explosive run down the right and into the box perplexed Cranes defenders forcing Wasswa and colleagues to surrender in single file on the flow before the Ivorian made the assist to an unmarked Aubin Kouame Kramo on 78 minutes.

"I thought I would be paired with either (Hillary) Mukundane or Kenneth (Ssemakula) but the coach preferred Gift (Fred) and I'm glad we forged a capable unit, " he revealed.

Lessons 

Wasswa, also capable of playing at right-back and in defensive midfield, has been the rock pillar on which KCCA's backline has been built as they sit atop the StarTimes Uganda Premier League table by halfway mark.

He has partnered Mustafa Mujjuzi and John Revita before. The former Vipers defender has given Morley Byekwaso's KCCA hope on the league title this campaign.

"I'm no longer the timid defender who feared the big stage before Chan. I pray that the coach considers me for the upcoming Afcon qualifiers (in March) with the senior Uganda Cranes," he said.

Luckily for Wasswa, the national team's established defence order is a fickle one that can be penetrated by a shift of hard work and consistency.

The debacle of Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic's third fruitless Chan outing only increased the feeling that the tournament jinx is here to stay and as a nation, a reboot is inevitable to gain shoots of recovery.

 

Geoffrey Wasswa at a glance

Born: October 16, 1996

Place of birth: Buikwe

Teams: St Mary's SSS Kitende, Vipers JT, Vipers, SC Villa, KCCA 

Height:1.85m

Position: Central Defence/Right-back/ Defensive midfield

Current Club: KCCA