From the Sidelines: Concerns on Warriors

THERE is a lot of uneasiness, concern and uncertainty among football officials and the nation about the performance of the Brave Warriors in general.

This concern is mainly due to the inability of the Warriors to win matches when they play away. Namibia both lost to DRC and Libya in their African Nations Cup qualifying matches which were played away.Although it is difficult to win matches away from home, at least there should be a lot of confidence and commitment from the players to make this happen.Over the years, I always had a problem with professional players who are drafted into the squad at the last minute.I know most of them have professional commitments with their clubs, but they should give the same devotion to the national team too.Stand up and be counted.Players often score at their clubs in South Africa or Europe or wherever they play, but their performance in the national side leaves a lot to be desired.Professional players do not give their all for the national team and this can been seen by the way they miss clear shots on target, sloppy defending, poor ball control and a total lack of motivation and a spirit to win.One wonders whether these players are really professional, as they simply do not show that superior edge above the ones that are playing football locally.Coach Ben Bamfuchile and his technical staff have to gamble to make choices for the team as they aim to balance it with experience, while the youthful locals also need a chance.But, with priority being given to the professionals who in any case only join the team in the last few days before match day, they still fail to live up to expectations.Now, with Libya coming to Namibia in their away match in the same competition, there should be no room for error.Firstly, home-ground advantage is the key to winning any match.If you look at countries that have played on home soil in the Nations Cup qualifiers so far, most have won their matches.Namibia should be no exception in winning at home at all costs.Professional players will have a chance to prove whether they are serious with the national team or not.Some who were benched in Libya apparently also complained to the coach why they were left out.This attitude from the professionals is unacceptable.A coach sometimes has to make tough choices when it comes to team selection and if players, professional players for that matter, do not want to be benched, they better stay at their clubs.Local players are good enough to carry out the duties and instructions of the coach and some of them even perform much better than the professionals.Although not all the foreign-based players are dishing out poor football, it is important for them to remember that no place is guaranteed for them in the national team.It is not a team of a few individuals and the coach has the right to pick and choose to find the right combinations.The coach should also guard against playing players out of position, as they do not deliver what is required from them.It has happened many times on national level, but it will be better if players at least produce in their new roles.The game against Libya should be the yardstick for measuring the credibility of the foreign-based players.It will be totally unacceptable for the Warriors to lose at home, even in their future match against DRC.The other important aspect is that the team needs to prepare for these matches as much as they can.The Warriors need more friendly matches against stronger opposition before going into crucial cup qualifiers.Poor preparations, mainly because of a lack of money, are a major contributing factor to the downfall of any football-playing nation that wishes to make it to the top.There should be sufficient training camps and friendly matches for players to gel and through this, it will be easier for the coach to find the right combinations – not on match day.The Warriors should do the nation a favour and win their next match at home.Namibia both lost to DRC and Libya in their African Nations Cup qualifying matches which were played away.Although it is difficult to win matches away from home, at least there should be a lot of confidence and commitment from the players to make this happen.Over the years, I always had a problem with professional players who are drafted into the squad at the last minute.I know most of them have professional commitments with their clubs, but they should give the same devotion to the national team too.Stand up and be counted.Players often score at their clubs in South Africa or Europe or wherever they play, but their performance in the national side leaves a lot to be desired.Professional players do not give their all for the national team and this can been seen by the way they miss clear shots on target, sloppy defending, poor ball control and a total lack of motivation and a spirit to win.One wonders whether these players are really professional, as they simply do not show that superior edge above the ones that are playing football locally.Coach Ben Bamfuchile and his technical staff have to gamble to make choices for the team as they aim to balance it with experience, while the youthful locals also need a chance.But, with priority being given to the professionals who in any case only join the team in the last few days before match day, they still fail to live up to expectations.Now, with Libya coming to Namibia in their away match in the same competition, there should be no room for error.Firstly, home-ground advantage is the key to winning any match.If you look at countries that have played on home soil in the Nations Cup qualifiers so far, most have won their matches.Namibia should be no exception in winning at home at all costs.Professional players will have a chance to prove whether they are serious with the national team or not.Some who were benched in Libya apparently also complained to the coach why they were left out.This attitude from the professionals is unacceptable.A coach sometimes has to make tough choices when it comes to team selection and if players, professional players for that matter, do not want to be benched, they better stay at their clubs.Local players are good enough to carry out the duties and instructions of the coach and some of them even perform much better than the professionals.Although not all the foreign-based players are dishing out poor football, it is important for them to remember that no place is guaranteed for them in the national team.It is not a team of a few individuals and the coach has the right to pick and choose to find the right combinations.The coach should also guard against playing players out of position, as they do not deliver what is required from them.It has happened many times on national level, but it will be better if players at least produce in their new roles.The game against Libya should be the yardstick for measuring the credibility of the foreign-based players.It will be totally unacceptable for the Warriors to lose at home, even in their future match against DRC.The other important aspect is that the team needs to prepare for these matches as much as they can.The Warriors need more friendly matches against stronger opposition before going into crucial cup qualifiers.Poor preparations, mainly because of a lack of money, are a major contributing factor to the downfall of any football-playing nation that wishes to make it to the top.There should be sufficient training camps and friendly matches for players to gel and through this, it will be easier for the coach to find the right combinations – not on match day.The Warriors should do the nation a favour and win their next match at home.