What the goals Uganda gave away to Algeria say about our footballers

First things first: this column will dispense with any pretense that Uganda stood a chance in its 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier (Afcon) against Algeria this past week. 

A number of Cranes fans reckoned that the smallest hope of any success was indebted solely to the forbearance of Algeria's backroom staff. When Djamel Belmadi granted their wish by fielding a weakened side, they proceeded to consume the fixture with a clear comprehension that Milutin 'Micho' Sredojević's charges were in with a shout. The stakes, as they had come to see them, were simply too high for any Cranes player to put a foot wrong. Except Salim Jamal Magoola did exactly that on the stroke of half-time. 

Unsurprisingly, several Cranes fans have offered a blistering critique of the two goalkeeping gaffes—one with the foot (more on that shortly) and another win the palms—that fashioned Algeria's opening goal. This column, however, strongly believes a more existential consideration requires our attention. 
Here is why: the two goals Uganda gave away in Cameroon draw attention to the Cranes' failure to get the basics right with unerring accuracy. To put it more bluntly, the colossal embarrassment that Ugandan football continues to suffer is squarely down to it being stuck in a time warp. 

The goal that Magoola gave away, more than anything, makes painfully clear a repeated failure to play out from the back. The beautiful game is nowadays persistent in its urging that goalkeepers be just as good with their feet as their hands.

You can count off the fingers of one hand Ugandan goalkeepers who can go long or short with their passing. Magoola's ill-fated attempt to play it shorter even when the opponent was not playing deeper is symptomatic of the historical failure of Ugandan goalkeepers to read the opposition like a book. 

A goaltender ought to not only know where the spare player is, but also—crucially—how to deliver the ball to them in a safe and penetrative way. Denis Onyango was so comfortable with the ball at his feet presumably because he once figured as an outfield player. Such was his skill set that during his long spell as the Cranes No.1, centre-backs pushed higher up the pitch because of their belief in his footwork and decision making. 

Daniel Kiwanuka helped Charles Lukwago cultivate similar skills when KCCA FC dominated Ugandan club football and enjoyed some success against opponents on the continent under Mike Mutebi. Lukwago has since fallen down the pecking order of Cranes goalkeepers, having started the current qualifying campaign as the undisputed No.1.

It remains to be seen whether Magoola's recent struggles will ensure that comfort of goalkeepers in possession is not framed almost as a sideshow in Uganda. Just as crucial for the Cranes to break significant ground is how they handle their defensive transitions. Algeria’s second goal shined an uncomfortable spotlight in this regard. 

While transitions do not last long, they can be quite decisive in the grand scheme of things. When one team loses the ball and the other gains possession, as Algeria's Desert Foxes did after defending a set-play, quick coordination and organisation is of the essence. 

The Cranes' transition from their in-possession shape to their out-of-possession shape when the Desert Foxes regained possession from the aforesaid set-play verged on the lethargic. It was nowhere near good enough. 

Sadly, instead of trying to be alive to such gaping holes, responsible authorities are already memorising the platitudes necessary to wave away their critics. This mental exercise of denial is precisely what has ensured that the Cranes' struggles remain ineradicable. The team will continue to plumb the depths of self-destructiveness if it does not challenge conformity to traditions of yesteryear. 

Whereas all manners of jokes that strike below the belt have been directed at Micho, it is worth noting that the Serbian tactician is only a symptom of a deeper malaise. That notwithstanding; while Uganda has an outside chance of qualifying for the 2023 Afcon finals, your columnist maintains that it is in the Cranes' best interest that they do not make the grade.

Besides the team being too undercooked, qualification to the big time will smooth over a number of cracks. This will ultimately do Ugandan football more appalling harm than great good. We cannot continue to be unmoored from the fact that Ugandan football—at all levels—is motivated less by a desire to move with the times. The manner of our leaders to this uncontested truth has to—with sincere urgency—soften sooner rather than later.