Mannetti shifts focus to Kenya

Staff Reporter

PRECISION... Brave Warriors midfielder Riaan Cloete gave a good account of himself against Mozambique on Saturday.

Photograph by Helge Schutz

Mannetti said the fight for a berth in the final 18-man squad for the Kenya encounter will be fierce if Saturday’s performance by the local-based side against Mozambique is anything to go by.

Namibia gallantly overturned a 3-0 first leg but lost 4-5 on penalties against Mozambique, who knocked them out of contention for the 2014 African Nations Championships (Chan)

“We have the Cosafa team, the Chan team and the guys who were absent through injuries and other reasons. We now have to start as a technical team to talk to all the players we have, see how fit they are and sort out other related issues with them and try to have the best team possible for the Kenya match,” said Mannetti.

The Brave Warriors lie third on five points, two behind second- placed Malawi and four behind Group F leaders Nigeria, while Kenya are last on three points. Only Malawi and Nigeria still stand a chance of advancing to the final round of qualification for the World Cup.

“We have a great pool of players and now we have to get the combinations right and blend them very well together and the good thing is that most players are in action and others have started with pre-season training so we won’t have fitness drama,” he added.

Mannetti said he welcomed the selection dilemma that the local players are providing.

“On Saturday, the boys showed the nation and the technical team that they have the big hearts and character to fight back. We were all written off, but on Saturday, something special happened and with the lottery of penalties it was going to be anybody’s game. It was a job well done by the boys and I’m so glad they responded to the tactics the way they did and [it] makes me proud to be their coach,” he said. The past two months provided the Brave Warriors with arguably their busiest period of international football to date, which included seven matches over three different competitions and a friendly.

Three of those matches ended in defeat, three victories and a draw under Mannetti, while the team were coached to a goalless draw against Zambia by his predecessor Roger Palmgren.

Mannetti said the team is a work in progress and has called for the nation’s patience and backing.

“A lot was said of our chances of the game on Saturday and some people even stayed home but they missed out on great goals and determination by their team. Next time please come and support your team and for those that came, the result on Saturday is dedicated to you by the players and the whole team. Our job is not done yet and we will continue to scout for players and try to negotiate ourselves out of a difficult situation and also try to make things easier for all of us as Namibians,” he said.