Warriors must do it against Swaziland

THE Brave Warriors have the chance to further consolidate their good run in international football, but most importantly, it will be the chance for the players to show their qualities.

A win will do the country good in terms of rankings, but a loss will expose the quality, experience and depth that we have in our national team.The current crop of players I understand are the chosen ones by coach Tom Saintfiet for the future, but what are their real qualities and do they fit in perfectly with the systems that the coach has in mind?That will be determined by the results they produce, because the quality of a good team is measured by its consistency.So far, the Brave Warriors have done relatively well against foreign opposition, but consistency will be key for both Saintfiet and his men.Under Saintfiet the Warriors have lost once, drawn four and won four matches, a record which is relatively good for the current world football standards if you are a coach.In some respects, the opposition was not really the strongest, considering the likes of Lesotho, Botswana and Lebanon.Ideally, every coach wants to go up against the strongest nations because it clearly brings out the consistency of the team.At the same time, the quality of the players in the national side is also measured through this because if they fail to deliver results against Swaziland tomorrow, their next match will be judged on that.At the moment, the Warriors are judged according to their last match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which they won 4-1.Fans coming to the stadium will want to see the same skill, quality, hunger, opportunism and overall organisation the Warriors displayed during that match and a loss will not be an option. In fact, fans always want a win and Swaziland is in their minds no exception.Now, this is where the quality of the players comes to the fore. We have most of the players who did duty for the country against DRC and they will have to perform as they did or even better.The current crop has to take it upon themselves to deliver the goods and be regarded as consistent and quality players on the day or simply be referred to as occasional stars.Any player in the national side should know by now that if he does not come to the party on the day, his chances of future selection are also at stake. The current ones who have been given the chance in tomorrow’s match should take it upon themselves to exceed the expectations and prove people like me wrong that they can defend efficiently, control the midfield with ease and score goals at will.I know of good quality and experienced players in this side, but it is important that the high standard be maintained because this is the national football team.The quality of play must be consistent and the thousands of fans who will fork out N$30 at the gates will surely not settle for second best, not at Sam Nujoma Stadium. I am sure the VIPs will be the most disappointed if we don’t pull it off, considering a hefty N$300 they will pay for seats.To avoid embarrassment and to live up to the high expectations that we journalists and the general public set for the you as players and the coach, it’s showtime! You must do it for us.I know that every Brave Warriors player will go into this match with a winning mentality, but that should be put into practice through high quality football and a remarkable result. Nothing less. corry@namibian.com.na