Zambia’s below-par performance in Wednesday’s opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) against Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has left coaches and former national team players disappointed.
Former national team coach Wedson Nyirenda in an interview yesterday described the draw as a fortunate outcome.
Nyirenda criticised the lack of attacking intent, pointing out that the players seemed unsure of what to do with the ball and heavily relied on long balls to Fashion Sakala on the wings.
“We did not play well. We were not anywhere near a team that wanted the game. It was all over. Congo played very well and we survived the onslaught.
Zambia Football Coaches Association president Dan Kabwe said:“It is a bad start but it is good that we managed to get a point despite playing badly. Going forward, let’s open up and play. I’m sure we will wake up. We were so scared of Congo, I don’t know for what reason.”.
Africa Cup of Nations winner Kennedy Mweene criticised Zambia’s defensive strategy.
“To be honest, I wasn’t happy with the way we defended. We were too deep. We were just in front of the goalkeeper and anything can happen there. These are the small things we need to work on. You could see that we came out of that game lucky,” Mweene said during a match analysis on SuperSport.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
