MARRAKECH – It may not have been pretty, but Brave Warriors ‘negative’ game plan got the job done said head coach Ricardo Mannetti.
Mannetti took a needs first approach to Namibia’s two opening African Nations Championship matches against Ivory Coast and Uganda which brought two historic wins and qualification for the quarter-finals.
“I think our first objective was to be the surprise package of our group. We’ve succeeded in that. I think our style of play has brought us this far. We can also play another way than we normally do. So we have two ways of playing,” Mannetti said at Thursday’s post match press conference.
He hinted at a more adventurous system against Zambia in Casablanca on Monday in a match that will determine the group winner.
“Now that there’s less pressure, we will decide which one will work best for us. If we lose against Zambia we could get Morocco [who are top of Group A], or if we win we might get Sudan [who lie second in Group A]. Both those teams will have styles we need to adapt to. One thing is for sure, you will see some changes in our approach depending on which team we face after that,” he said.
When pressed harder over his cautious tactics and if that had any bearing on his team’s ability, Mannetti maintained that Namibia are underdogs and played to their strengths. They were not prepared to “fight fire with fire” against technically superior Uganda or Ivory Coast who both prefer a possession-based game.
Instead, it suited the Warriors to soak up pressure, staying compact behind the ball and then hitting their opponents on the break, according to Mannetti.
Namibia have scored two goals and conceded none thus far – making them the team with the meanest defence at the tournament.
“I’m not even going to sit here and say something else. It’s true Uganda controlled the game. They were more progressive in their approach in terms of going forward, and we had to play on the counter and wait for that golden opportunity,” Mannetti said.
That chance came when Uganda were reduced to ten men on 76 minutes after defender Dennis Awany received a second yellow for a foul on Nekundi who was clean through on goal.
“Unfortunately they got a red card and we put on another attacker [Roger Katjiteo for Petrus Shitembi]. In the end it paid off,” Mannetti said.
Ugandan coach Sebestien Desabre branded Thursday’s result “a deception” which was not an accurate measure of either side’s capabilities.
For the third time running, Uganda failed to go past the group stage of the tournament designed exclusively for footballers playing in their domestic leagues.
