WARRIORS coach Kalisto Pasuwa is targeting a quarter-final place at the upcoming 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) football finals which kick off in Gabon in exactly two weeks.
BY HENRY MHARA
Zimbabwe are in a tough group together with Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia.
While many are not giving them any chance to make it out of the group, Pasuwa believes he has a very good squad that can do well at the finals.
Two top teams from the group will advance to the quarter-finals.
And Pasuwa, speaking after the team’s afternoon training session at Gateway School yesterday, said: “We have to progress through to the second round. We need to play very well and collect points in the group stages and we are saying to the boys let’s go out and fight. We must not underestimate ourselves, we must have self-confidence and if we can do that, we will do well. You win football matches if you prepare well, it doesn’t matter that you are playing the so-called giants. It is also about the attitude, how you approach the game, that will make you win. We are not going there to make up numbers, but to do well.”
He added that Zimbabwe had good enough quality to match the best teams on the continent.
“We have the talent to match all the other teams and their players. It’s only the preparation part of it which lacks for us but if everything is put in place, I can see us doing very well. We need these boys together for bonding purposes, and we need to utilise all the Fifa dates to play friendly matches.”
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He said he had been impressed by the physical condition of the players.
“So far so good on the physical aspect. It’s coming up nicely. I tested the boys in the morning and all of them passed the blip test. Most of these guys here are active for their clubs and it’s only a few that we are working on so that they can catch up with others.”
It was Pasuwa’s first full session with the team having arrived from Ivory Coast where he had gone with the local-based players for a friendly match on Boxing Day which ended goalless.
All the called players, except for Knowledge Musona, who was expected in the country last night from his base in Belgium, and Khama Billiat, trained yesterday.
Billiat is in the country, but excused himself from the training session.
Pasuwa is expected to name his final travelling squad of 23 players tomorrow for submission to the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
Caf had initially set yesterday as the deadline for squad submission, but Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela yesterday said it had been extended to January 4, 2017.
Pasuwa said he was disappointed to lose one of his “key” players in Blessing Moyo, who has been ruled out of the tournament through injury.
“He is one boy we would have wanted in the team. I have worked with him from the Under-23 and we understand him, his strengths and weaknesses. It’s very unfortunate he won’t be part of us, but I would have wanted him to be with us to finish off the job in Gabon.”
