Warriors need a win

BRAVE Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile will be faced with possibly one of his most difficult decisions yet when he has to decide on who will lead the Namibian attack in the must-win African Nations Cup qualifier against Libya at the Independence Stadium tomorrow.

Bamfuchile and his technical staff are sitting with a host of midfielders, but have no real target-man who should be getting the goals for the home side when the two countries clash in their second international encounter. Namibia has been lacking firepower upfront for years and tomorrow, the situation will continue to haunt the team as there is no real central forward among the 20 players who are preparing for the match.Namibia has to gamble with either youngster Muna Katupose, the tricky Patrick Jagger or the experienced Collin Benjamin to lead the attack, as both Meraai Swartbooi and Sidney Plaatjies are left-footed players who are more useful from the wings.Swartbooi is unlikely to be employed as the central hitman because of his height, while Plaatjies, who plays as a defensive left midfielder for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa, is also not capable enough to cause serious havoc in the centre of the opposing team’s defence.Benjamin, who is also a left-footed player, can be drawn into the attacking midfield position, but that will not allow him to push forward as he will be expected to fall back deep to assist his team-mates in the centre of the park.Santos veteran midfielder Robert Nauseb normally bursts forward from the middle of the park, but he will also need to steady the midfield with Letu Shatimuene or Jamu Ngatjizeko, depending on who will be picked on the day.Jagger is also not a natural striker and his contribution comes in the form of providing quick short balls to his strikers because he is a good ball controller and distributor.Benjamin lacks the pace for a striker, but has the advantage of a physique that can make him compete favourably with the Libyan defenders.The identical twin brother of Muna, Tara Katupose, is also a left winger and he will have to compete for that position against Swartbooi and Plaatjies.Bamfuchile can count on either Benjamin, Plaatjies or (Muna) Katupose to lead the attack, while Jagger can be best employed behind the strikers.It will also be fatal if Namibia opts for a lone striker because the match is at home and many goals are being hoped for.Despite that, the technical staff will have the last say on who would be going in as the hitman for the side, while the formation that is planned for the game will also have an effect on who plays in what position.Libya is currently ranked 89th in the world according to Fifa, while Namibia sits on position 131.The Libyan team travelled with most of their domestic league players, while Namibia has a total of seven professional players who are all likely to be in the starting line-up.The Libyan team is known as ‘The Greens’ and arrived in the country on Monday to acclimatise to the conditions.The two countries are in Group 10, also with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ethiopia.DRC is currently leading the group with seven points after three matches, with Libya second with four points, while Namibia and Ethiopia are equal on three points each.The DRC faces Ethiopia on Saturday too.If Namibia wins the match, they will move into the second spot with six points, before playing a home tie against DRC on June 15.Namibia will after the DRC match play Ethiopia away on September 7, a match they also need to win after they beat the same side 1-0 at home earlier this year.Gates open at 12h00 and entry fees are N$10 per person.Namibia has been lacking firepower upfront for years and tomorrow, the situation will continue to haunt the team as there is no real central forward among the 20 players who are preparing for the match.Namibia has to gamble with either youngster Muna Katupose, the tricky Patrick Jagger or the experienced Collin Benjamin to lead the attack, as both Meraai Swartbooi and Sidney Plaatjies are left-footed players who are more useful from the wings.Swartbooi is unlikely to be employed as the central hitman because of his height, while Plaatjies, who plays as a defensive left midfielder for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa, is also not capable enough to cause serious havoc in the centre of the opposing team’s defence.Benjamin, who is also a left-footed player, can be drawn into the attacking midfield position, but that will not allow him to push forward as he will be expected to fall back deep to assist his team-mates in the centre of the park.Santos veteran midfielder Robert Nauseb normally bursts forward from the middle of the park, but he will also need to steady the midfield with Letu Shatimuene or Jamu Ngatjizeko, depending on who will be picked on the day.Jagger is also not a natural striker and his contribution comes in the form of providing quick short balls to his strikers because he is a good ball controller and distributor.Benjamin lacks the pace for a striker, but has the advantage of a physique that can make him compete favourably with the Libyan defenders.The identical twin brother of Muna, Tara Katupose, is also a left winger and he will have to compete for that position against Swartbooi and Plaatjies.Bamfuchile can count on either Benjamin, Plaatjies or (Muna) Katupose to lead the attack, while Jagger can be best employed behind the strikers.It will also be fatal if Namibia opts for a lone striker because the match is at home and many goals are being hoped for.Despite that, the technical staff will have the last say on who would be going in as the hitman for the side, while the formation that is planned for the game will also have an effect on who plays in what position.Libya is currently ranked 89th in the world according to Fifa, while Namibia sits on position 131.The Libyan team travelled with most of their domestic league players, while Namibia has a total of seven professional players who are all likely to be in the starting line-up.The Libyan team is known as ‘The Greens’ and arrived in the country on Monday to acclimatise to the conditions.The two countries are in Group 10, also with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ethiopia.DRC is currently leading the group with seven points after three matches, with Libya second with four points, while Namibia and Ethiopia are equal on three points each.The DRC faces Ethiopia on Saturday too.If Namibia wins the match, they will move into the second spot with six points, before playing a home tie against DRC on June 15.Namibia will after the DRC match play Ethiopia away on September 7, a match they also need to win after they beat the same side 1-0 at home earlier this year.Gates open at 12h00 and entry fees are N$10 per person.