Zali la Mentali kwa Taifa Stars

                                  ZALI LA MENTALI LINAWEZA KUTUANGUKIA TAIFA STARS

Ukichunguza vizuri  ratiba ya mechi za kuwania kufuzu kombe la dunia kwa bara la Afrika  utabaini mambo mawili.Mosi,hatua ya makundi ndiyo ngumu zaidi hasa kwa kuwa ni timu moja tu ndiyo itafuzu   kwa kila kundi.Kuna makundi kumi yenye timu nne.Hivyo basi timu kumi zitakazoongoza makundi yao zitafuzu kwa hatua ya mtoano ili kupata  timu tano zitakazowakilisha bara la Afrika kwenye kombe la dunia huko Brazil.

Hatua ya makundi ndiyo ngumu zaidi,kila timu itatakiwa kucheza mechi sita,tatu ugenini na tatu nyumbani. Kwa hesabu za haraka haraka mshindi wa kundi ni lazima ashinde mechi zote za nyumbani na angalau kushinda mechi moja au kutoa sare mbili ugenini.Kwa vyovote vile ushindi wa nyumbani ni lazima.Sare yoyote ya nyumbani ni kifo hasa ukizingatia kuwa ni timu moja tu ndiyo itakayofuzu kwa kila kundi. Tanzania tumeanza vyema kwa kuwafunga Gambia nyumbani,hatuna budi kuwafunga Simba wa milima ya Atlas kutoka Morocco ili kuendeleza ndoto zetu za kuisaka safari ya Brazil.

Pili,utababini kuwa hatua ya mwisho ni rahisi na imejaa bahati hasa kwa timu changa kama Tanzania.Hatua ya pili ni mechi mbili tu zinakuvusha hadi Brazil kula bata.Yaani unahitaji kuwa makini katika dakika 180 tu kuungana na wababe wengine Brazil. Ni rahisi kushinda nyumbani na kwenda kutafuta matokeo ugenini.Kwa mtindo huu Cape Verde walifuzu AFCON mbele ya wababe Cameroun. Cape Verde walimaliza biashara nyumbani kwa kushinda 2-0 kisha wakaenda kujitoa mhanga ugenini na kufungwa 2-1 na hivyo kuwatoa Cameroun.Zambia waliokuwa mabingwa watetezi almanusra wavuliwe ubingwa wao pale Kampala kabla ya kuponea chupu chupu kwenye matuta.Mtoano ni kamari nzuri kwa timu changa.Usishangae kuwaona vigogo Afrika wakizikosa fainali za kombe la dunia kwa mara nyingine  huku ‘watoto’ wakifuzu.

Kwenye kundi letu Ivory Coast ana nafasi kubwa  ya kufuzu licha ya kuwa ni mapema sana kutabiri. Ivory Coast wana silaha za kutosha kuziketeza timu nyumbani na ugenini.Historia yao ya hivi karibuni katika mechi za kufuzu inaonesha kuwa hawana shida kuzifunga timu ugenini. Kumbuka jinsi walivyowalambisha sakafu Senegal nyumbani na ugenini bila shida. Hawa wamekamilika.Hawa ndio tunaowahofia sana.

Morocco licha ya kushiriki kombe la Afrika huko Afrika Kusini na pia kutufunga nyumbani na ugenini katika mechi za kufuzu hawaonekani kuwa tishio sana.Morocco hawakuonesha lolote la kutisha huko Afrika Kusini,walitoa sare mechi zote.Pia hatuhitaji kwenda mbali sana kupata mfano kuwa wanafungika.Jirani zetu wa Rwanda waliwakimbiza sana na kuwapakata kwa kuwafunga 3-1 pale Kigali. Morocco pia wanaonekana kuwa na migogoro yao kuhusiana na wachezaji wao nyota.Kina Adel Taarabt, Chamakh na Hamdaoui wa Italia hawapo kwenye timu ya taifa kwa sasa.Kifupi hawa jamaa wanafungika.Pia sare pale Rabat au Casablanca inapatikana tukiwa makini.

Gambia hao licha ya kuwa Afrika Magharibi si timu ya kutisha,tuko katika kiwango  kimoja.Tumeshawafunga hapa,tunao uwezo wa kutoa nao sare au hata kuwafunga huko kwao.Kifupi  kama tukiwa makini tuna uhakika wa point inane bila kuweka mechi ya Ivory Coast.Kwa hivyo ni kuwa makini huku tukiomba Ivory Coast wajichanganye wenyewe.Kuteleza kwa Ivory Coast ndiyo zali letu la mentali.Kumbuka Ivory Coast wenye kawaida ya kushinda mechi zote wameisha toa sare moja,tumuombe Mungu waongoze sare nyingine na Gambia.Dua zetu japo ni za kuku zinaweza kuwapata…Soka halichezewi kanisani wala msikitini kwa hio maombi pembeni,maandalizi na mipango zaidi ili zali la mentali liwe ukweli na si wimbo tu wa Profesa Jay.

HUKUMU YA KIFO KWA TUSKER

                                  HUKUMU YA KIFO KWA TUSKER
Vilabu vya Kenya vya Tusker na Gor Mahia vilijikuta vikiambulia vipigo kutoka mikononi mwa vilabu vya wajukuu wa Firauni.Tusker iliambulia aibu ya kuchapwa nyumbani na Al Ahly.Gor Mahia nayo ilisulubiwa na ENPPI kwa kubebeshwa furushi la mabao matatu bila jibu huko Misri. Ingawa wengi tuliona ugumu wa kupambana na vilabu vya Misri bado hatukutarajia kuona Tusker ikiaibishwa nyumbani au Gor Mahia ikibebeshwa furushi la mabao matatu na timu ya ENPPI hasa ukizingatia matatizo yaliyoikumbuka Misri baada ya machafuko ya kisiasa.
Kwa wale waliobahatika kuangalia mpambano wa Tusker na Al Ahly watakubaliana na mimi kuwa Al Ahly licha kutoonesha juhudi au maarifa ya hali juu bado walionekana kucheza kandanda la ufundi zaidi,akili zaidi na mipango zaidi. Hii ilikuwa ni Al Ahly dhaifu,bila ya kiungo wa mtaalam,Aboutrika na mshambuliaji mdokozi Gedo. Ilikuwa nafasi nzuri sana ya sisi kulipa kisasi cha kufungwa na Misri kila mara.Bahati mbaya tulishindwa kuitumia fursa hii. Wanaijeria huwa wanasema usipompiga mtu akiwa chini,je utampiga lini?
Tusker ina kibarua kigumu sana cha kupata matokeo mazuri huko ugenini.Timu za Misri hazipotezi mechi nyumbani.Licha ya kufuatila mashindano ya klabu bingwa Afrika kwa muda mrefu ni mara moja tu ndio nimebahatika kuiona klabu ya Misri ikipoteza mechi nyumbani.Mwaka jana,niliona Zamalek chovu ikilamba sakafu nyumbani mbele ya vijana hodari wa TP Mazembe. Wamisri wana viburi sana ,wana hulka ya kutumia kila mbinu kusaka ushindi nyumbani.
Itakuwa ngumu sana kupata nafasi za wazi kama zile tulizozipata hapa. Shikokoti,Dunga Jesse Were na chipukizi Olunga walishindwa kufunga mabao ya wazi kabisa ambayo ni wazi yangekuwa mtaji mzuri wa mabao kuelekea mechi ya marudiano huko Misri. Tusker walichezea shilingi yao chooni,huko Misri watarajie kuvuja jasho la damu na chumvi kuusaka mpira huku wakijitahidi kuzuia mvua ya mashambulizi kutoka kwa Al Ahly.
Licha ya kuruhusu mabao mawili,safu ya ulinzi ya Tusker ilikuwa likizo kwa muda mrefu kwani Al Ahly walikuwa wanauchezea mpira pembeni zaidi bila ya kuingia sana kwenye eneo la hatari la Tusker. Ni dhahiri shahiri upepo wa mashambulizi ya Al Ahly utakuwa mkali zaidi kwenye marudiano.
Ingawa katika kandanda lolote linaweza kutokea bado kibarua cha Tusker ni kigumu kupita maelezo.Vijana wa Kocha Robert Matano watahitaji kujitoa kwa mioyo yao yote,kucheza kwa roho za chuma na umakini wa fundi saa kupata matokeo ya kuridhisha mbele ya wajukuu wa Firauni.Historia inawahukumu vibaya Tusker,wakiitazama historia ya vilabu vya Kenya nchini Misri wanaweza kujiona panzi na kukata tama kabisa.Itawabidi kutoisoma historia au kuisahau kwa kuwa ishawapa hukumu ya kifo hata kabla ya mechi kuchezewa.Historia haichezi mpira,inaandikwa tu na walio shupavu na jasiri,hodari na makini.

Do We Still Have The Momentum?

                          DO WE STILL HAVE THE MOMENTUM TO GO PAST MOROCCO?                                                                                                                          

With barely two weeks before Taifa Stars face The Atlas Lions of Morocco, Kim Poulsen,the national team coach has retained the same team that he has used in the past four months. There is nothing strange in that given the lack of proper alternative  to challenge the named players. By a mile the chosen players are the best we can afford at the moment. Despite that being the best squad we can come up with it is worrying if the selected players are up to the task ahead due to a combination of various factors.

There is a lot of question if  a good number of  those selected are in the right form to deliver .The bulky of the team is composed of Azam and Simba players .Questions are being asked if it was right to rely on Aggrey Morris and Erasto Nyoni of Azam. The two defenders have been inactive in the league since last year. Though no one  questions their quality still it is worrying that their lack of competitive football  may  affect their ability to deliver in the pitch.Are they not a bit rusty? Coach Poulsen has stuck with them despite being sidelined by Azam  yet in the various matches they have delivered perfectly. Against Cameroun the two  marshaled the defence properly.

There are also worries as to the forms of Simba players in the squad. Simba have had a poor season and recently they have struggled even against minor opposition. Juma Kaseja has been exchanging gloves with Ugandan import, Abel Dhaira. Kaseja was benched in the important away match against  Recreativo  Do Libolo. Amri Kiemba, Mwinyi Kazimoto, Mrisho Ngassa and Shomari Kapombe have found themselves in the bench in various matches in the Vodacom premier league.  They have not been effective with looking tired as reports of indiscipline and misunderstandings between them and the Simba Coach,Frenchman, Patrick Liewig have been reported in the media.

The  federation election  dispute has meant that little attention has been given to the team.The team has not  played any friendly match in preparation  while Morocco recently played a friendly match against Mali. It is worrying that Morocco seem to be better prepared than us. It has to be remembered that Morocco took maximum points from us in the last AFCON qualifiers. Why do we appear so ill-prepared against  a better opponent that has previously thrashed us home and away?

GONE WITH THE WIND

GONE WITH THE WIND
It has been a poor season for Tanzania football giant,Simba Fc.Simba is currently in a mini crisis of it's own that has  greatly affected the team performance.The main problem is weak leadership that has seen them  recently being humiliated by Angolan side,Recreativo do Libolo by an aggregate score of 5-0.It is painful to watch a team that barely a year ago was threatening to stomp into the last 8 of the CAF Confederations cup being humiliated by an 'unknown' Angolan side that has no rich history in African soccer.
Exactly ten years ago,Simba stomped to the CAF Champions league group stage by eliminating Botswana Defence Forces,Santos and Zamalek who were the then defending champions.Despite being in a tough group comprising of Enyimba of Nigeria,Ismailia of Egypt and Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast,Simba went on to put up a spirited fight that kept their hopes alive to the last second of the last match.
Perhaps,no match showed just how good that Simba class of  2003 was than the one in which they gallantly fought but lost to Asec Mimosa 4-3. They showed a fighting spirit that would surely leave Sir Alex Fergusson stunned and applauding.Sadly that is history,good times to be remembered...gone with the wind.
That class of 2002-2003 comprised of a rare balanced rock-solid defence.Boniface Pawasa,Victor Costa,Amri Said,Ramadhan Wasso,Said Sued made up a defensive wall that could sustain any kind of pressure.Wasso was an excellent left full back.He could overlap and defend.Said Sued patrolled the right full back position.Pawasa and Costa had a rare partnership,the former was  short but physically strong while the latter was an intelligent reader of the game.
That defence was the solid structure upon which coach James Aggrey Siang'a built his side that went on to clinch an amazing six trophies in a year.They swept everything domestically.It was indeed so sweet to be associated with Simba...but all  is gone.Gone with the wind