Herve Renard has said people shouldn’t read too much into his in-and-out substitution of striker Collins Mbeusma.
The Golden Arrows striker came on to little impact in Zambia’s 2-2 draw against Libya on Wednesday in the teams penultimate Group A match in Bata in the first half only to be substituted again with less than a quarter of an hour left to play.
“I know for some people it is difficult to understand but me I don’t have problems with changing tactics three or four times in a game,” Renard said.
“I brought Collins to hold the ball and to come from behind to shoot because it was difficult to cross from both sides. The pitch was very bad especially on the left and on the right.”
Renard said it will be unfair to criticize the striker on his performance during his first appearance at this year’s Africa Cup.
Mbesuma had two good chances on goal but was denied by the veteran Libyan goalkeeper Abod Samir.
“I wanted him to hold the ball and we got some chances but it was sometimes difficult I think he did well,” Renard said.
“But in the last 10 minutes I wanted to play players faster some players were tired because of the pitch then I put some pace with Felix Katongo.”
Meanwhile, Zambia shift camp across to the Island of Malabo on Friday ahead of their final Group A match on Sunday there against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea that will decide the course of the second placed sides destiny in the Africa Cup.
Zambia, on 4 points from two games, needs a win or a draw against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday to join them the Africa Cup co-hosts in the February 4 quarterfinals.
Equatorial Guinea has qualified to the quarterfinals with a game to spare on 6 points from two games played.
Mbesuma amatalakwa sana…Indeed the pitch was a challenge, but somehow it worked better to our team than the refu. The refu was just against us, anyway.
The Poor conditions of the pitch were actually an advantage to Zambia. Zambians are used to playing in poor muddy pitch conditions from childhood where Libyans might never have played in such conditions. Notice that every time the ball was in the muddy waters, Zambian players always new the best thing to do was to lift the ball and volley it out of the area while the Libyans were confused.
I think we also need to consider changing goal keepers. This Kennedy Mweene, is not on top of his game manning the posts. He is too careless, he doesn’t know when to come out or when to stay in.
Finally, Zambians Soccer needs a few more tall and big players with a commanding presence around the ball. Our guys are just too small to compete with the North Africans.
I agree with you, but Zambians are not big people naturally. So the pool of people to select from will be limited and thus defeating the goal of creating a strong team. We only need big players in a few positions such as defense. Remember Litana, Wawa, Modorn Malitoli were big defensive players who did a good job. Players that are very fit can also fit the bill. At the end of the day we need to respect the coaches decisions and avoid interfering in his job!!
Yes I agree, change Goalkeeper, lets see what the young Titima can do, I will NEVER NEVER like that goalie of yours Mweene, he is to blame for all 3 goals. No one should blame talent #1 Chisamba, it was all the goalkeeper’s fault……………….
Renard should have taken that Moses Mapulanga of Mazabuka United & Under20
No.2 The Bricklayer and No.3 Nostradamus
Are you blaming the goalkeeper for the 3 goals and leaving out the defenders? Look at the goals in the Libya game again and maybe you can both have a change of mind. I would blame him for the Senegal goal only.
No.4 zedian
U ryt ma man tis not the goalie’s faults that thoz gaols were conceded but coz of the defenders particularly Chisamba Lungu n partly Himonde in one of the Lby’s goal.Renard must mek some changes with the defence n forward lines if we r to go thru. We nid 2c the lyks of Chintu, Nkausu, Sakuwaha, young Kangwa n mayb Chamanga in the starting line-up of the nxt game.
Change goal keepers at your own peril.
Some people are good at making preposterous comments about football. Please if you dont know anything just keep quiet and you will spare us the horror of knowing how much a stupe you are… The goalie is just ok, moreover we are not doing bad…
As my criteria for building a strong soccer squad, I would have a minimum of 4 players who are at least 6 feet tall and can run a 4/5 speed even if this would mean giving up in skill and talent. I would then balance out the rest of the team by choosing based on Skill, tallent and stamina. The other aspect that is lucking in Zambian teams is confidence. I think the current coach has done a good job in instilling this in our players and it is begenning to pay off. This is why Zambia used to have trouble with Arab teams because of the luck of confidence. We also need more players playing in decent leagues. Forget China & DRC… Kalaba can play in South Africa thats for sure. And where is that young man Emmanuel Mbola… now that is a good looking football player. I miss Efford Chabala!!!
Senegal had the same characteristics of your dream team and they were wired by the very small zambian players you are dispising today and worse still they SENEGAL tall and strong players were sent pack small Equatorians. Skill is better than strenth my freind. Carefull with empty analysis.
Mbesuma is hopeless and is a digrace. He should stop football and go back to Chibuku!
ALL THREE GOALS HAVE CONCEDED ARE DUE TO DEFENSIVE ERRORS, DEFENDERS WERE IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY COULD HAVE CLEARED BUT THEY DID NOT. THE GOAL AGAINST SENEGAL THE DEFENDER ALLOWED THE STRIKER TO CHEST THE BALL AND TURN IN TO THE RIGHT TO SHOOT. FOR THE FIRST GOAL AGAINST LIBYA THE DEFENDER HAD A CHANCE TO CLEAR WHEN THE BALL WAS PLAYED BETWEEN THE DEFENDERS BUT HE SLIPPED, ANOTHER DEFENSIVE ERROR. THE SECOND GOAL CONCEDED AGAINST LIBYA WAS VERY CHILDISH, DEFENDERS COULD NOT CLEAR THE BALL WHEN THEY HAD CHANCE, THEY WANTED TO CONTROL IT IN WET SITUATION. ANOTHER DEFENSIVE ERROR. ALL THREE GOALS ZAMBIA HAS CONCEDED WERE ERRORS BY THE RIGHT BACK. THE COACH MADE A MISTAKE BY BRINGING IN MBESUMA, HE CONTRIBUTED NOTHING. THE TEAM WAS DOING VERY WELL AND HAD JUST EQUALISED.
What did FELIX KATONGO contribute????????
THE TEAM HAD JUST EQUALISED WHEN HE BROUGHT IN MBESUMA WHO WAS DORMANT AND APPEARED HEAVY AND OLD, HE COULD NOT RUN IN WATER. I SCREAMED AT THE TV SCREEN WHEN I SAW THAT CHANGE TAKING PLACE. THE PROBLEM WITH RENARD HE WANTS TO APPEAR AS IF HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN READ THE GAME. HE SHOULD HAVE SAID HE MADE A MISTAKE TO MAKE THAT CHANGE BECAUSE MBESUMA COULD NOT PLAY IN WATER LOGGED PITCH. COMING TO DEFENSIVE ERRORS, ZAMBIA ARE PAYING THE PRICE OF MISSING EMMANUEL MBOLA IN DEFENCE. MBOLA IS VERY FAST AND WOULD HAVE LINKED VERY WELL WITH STRIKERS. THE ARE PEOPLE IN ZAMBIA WHO WANT VERY QUICK MONEY BUT END UP MESSING UP THE PLAYERS’ CAREERS. MBOLA’S SITUATION IS SIMILAR TO WHAT DENNIS LOTA ENDURED. MBOLA WAS A HOT CAKE THAT HAS BEEN SPOILED AND MAY NOT EVER PLAY IN EUROPE.
I wouldn´t agree more. Its all Kalu´s hand.
The idea was to give Katongo a little rest. Katongo is well leveraged with Mayuka. Immediately tofotofo left, the game was on. That was very necessary and the match went well. Please stop condemning the coach. What can you yourself do: count how many mistakes you have been making in life> Maybe you do not have even have the balls to assume responsibility of such enormity.
Anyway, thanks to Zuwayi, our brother imported by Qaddaffi into Libya.
People can´t you honestly see that its Kalu interfering in the coach´s job?! Why did he say leave me alone to decide my team prior to this match? Its Kalu trying to play his players. I guess Ren wanted to prove that Mbesuma can´t play. This is the fact.
If Renard change the goalkeeper Zambia will be died and burried.Amen
Mbesuma was as useless as they come.He had clear chances to score,manje awe kanshi.That Kalaba boy is an A-class player,cool,tenaticious,collected,confident,skilled and he is not selfish with the ball.Mayuka is great,he needs a good coach like Sir Alex Ferguson who can unlock his full potential.Chris Katongo and that Mulenga the left back are very hard working.Nkausu boy is also good.Isaac Chansa is good but he aint putting in 100%.
Why is Clifford Mulenga sitting on the bench and we have players like Felix Katongo being put in the game?? FRom the few matches that I have watched Clifford in the PSL in S.A the guy is deadly.
Ren please, for Zambia’s sake, ask Mbesuma to come back home, he doesnt even deserve to be on the bench. Hes unfit and we dont need him to play or substitute anyone on Sunday, players on the bench are more than enough. Secondly, dont change the goal keeper, he is the best we can ever have, unless he is badly injured, of which i pray doesnt.
kALABA NEED A GOOD AGENT HE CAN PLAY EVEN IN EUROPE
Well, let’s give the coach the benefit of doubt az he iz in charge. I thought Mbesuma waz rather heavy for the condition of the pitch.
Mweene talks too much as a professional goal keeper atleast he wud have punched or parred way some of those goals, but he failed,every ball on Mweene was a goal.What a goal keeper hehehehee…….
Imibili sha bene mbesuma needs to be signing cheques and directing junior workers not ifya ku butusha bola. The guy is too big he was even feeling to turn in the last game.
Unnecessary criticism of Mbesuma and the team.The conditions were atrocious for football.We have a team but the problem is the coach who cant make a good starting eleven.All goals conceeded agains Libya were due to our right back Lungu.As for Mbesuma he cant sit on the bench.He must play 90 minutes.Mbesuma can play left back ,left midfield and as a striker.The guy is an asset.If Mbesuma is at left back, joseph Musanda can go to right back and we can lift that cup.All the youth coaches who coached Mbesuma know this about him.Renard should read this.We have the team but maybe just maybe no coach.GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
CHISAMBA LUNGU IS A MIDFIELDER AND NOT A DEFENDER TO ME ALL THE GOALS WERE COMING FROM HIM.
Yes I agree with the coach I thought that was the whole idea.
Then who was playing rightback?
ITS NOT BY MIGHTY OR BY POWER BUT BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD OF HOST:
Mbesuma is a danger to Zambia. Chamanga, mulenga clifford, nyambe should be fine substitutes.
goalkeeper is a reasonable choice. mayuka, kalaba and katongo are our hopes.
the team needs very little tweaking I have a hunch Chipolopolo might beat E. guinea 2morrow and senegal will fight for there pride.
The problem is with the coach. He has no game plan at all. I don’t see this team progressing to the finals. We have the team but we don’t have a coach, conceding 3 goals in two games and scoring 4 goals in 2 games. We have a problem with the defence and the goalkeeper appears unstable. HR should prove to us that he has a game plan. Mbesuma is single player he is not the entire team. Bwana Renard make a team.
what do you expect with ba dont kubeba players. leave mweene alone you tribalist bembas, just because he tonga. *****s with you grade 7 presideto.
waba itole chikala.
guys, if you are in opposition, am sorry this is not your site, all my comments have not been displayed just because am challenging the pf players, dont kubeba on the pitch.
Height has nothing to do with skill in football. We are ok with our height ‘short’. Look at how short Spanish player are…they still play best football on Earth
I am wondering why Renard has decided to ignore the strong and quick player in Jonas Sakuwaha.This guy is far much better than Felix and Mbesuma. I am sure he would have managed the ater logged pitch better.
Hey people lets learn to appreciate talent, in my own view the team is doing fine and this because of the coach who knows which players can coordinate well and its about coordination which brings the great drive of the game.
goalkeeper is very okey its only the defence which needs to be agressive in the way thy are handling tha ball in the box
Off the field of play everyone is an expert..!
# 27 Tonga Bull – you are a sick ribalist. Is Mbesuma Tonga? From what I can see , the consensus is that Mbesuma was poor and should not have played. Very few bloggers are criticizing Mweene. Why do you have to make everything tribal? Shame on you Mr Tonga Bollocks.
#27 Tonga Bull – I meant to say you are a sick tribalist.