Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle says her team has recovered well from their 2-2 draw with hosts Morocco and is now fully focused on adjusting tactically ahead of Wednesday’s Group A encounter with Senegal at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Swiss tactician praised her side’s effort and execution against Morocco and believes the performance indicators from that game show Zambia is on the right track.
“We are recovering well from the opening game. We had some good video analysis from the game, so also the stats-wise we should have won the game. I think most of our performances are very good,” Häuptle said.
“We gave Morocco the possession but all the other parameters we have been controlling, defending very well, we were transitioning and we created a lot of chances on this equal ability.”
Zambia faces a different test against a Senegal side that won their opening match 4-0 over DR Congo. Häuptle acknowledged the challenge Senegal presents, but remains confident in the team’s tactical flexibility.
“Basically it’s a bit of a completely different game on Wednesday because Senegal has other attributes and skills than Morocco. So we expect an opponent that is physically very robust for our players. We will try to come up with the physicality,” she explained.
“So it’s again to find the right defence approach. I think against Morocco, we showed that we have been very smart in our game plan defensively. So I am sure we also adjusted the right screws against Senegal.”
The coach underlined her belief in Zambia’s counter-attacking strength, calling it one of the best in the tournament.
“It’s again our transition. I think we can say we are the best transition team in this tournament. So we are going to hurt them in those moments. We are still working a bit to adjust our possession style. This time, we want to be very proactive on the ball as well,” she said.
On the injury front, Häuptle provided a cautiously optimistic update on goalkeeper Catherine Musonda and winger Xiomara Mapepa, who both missed the opening match at the Olympic stadium on Saturday.
“Catherine Musonda, our first choice goalkeeper, was out for the first game but she was part of our training session as well as Xiomara Mapepa. We need to see the improvement by tomorrow and then we can give you an update if they are in the lineup,” Häuptle said.
With extensive experience facing Senegal before, Häuptle shared the West African side’s growth and strength.
“The Senegalese players are physically very strong. They are tall, they have a good physique to defend against. I know the players because I have played against Senegal twice as a coach,” she noted.
“They have players in the French League, Olympique Marseille, and it is a good environment to develop technical players. They have two or three players who are still very young, but their skills have evolved well.”
Looking ahead to the match, the coach reaffirmed her belief in performance-focused coaching.
“What I can tell you is that we work consistently on our performance and our performance indicators. We had 12 shots and eight of them we provided on target. We had a lot of touches in the box. Our transitions were good. Indicator-wise, we were fully in control and dominating the game,” Häuptle said.
“We should have been up 4-1 (against Morocco) with the chances we had. But that’s football sometimes. We are very focused. We are working on those indicators. I am pretty sure the performance is benefiting the results.”
By FAZ Media
