Africa-Press – Uganda. Two goals in four Afcon qualifying matches in Group F have pushed Uganda Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic into an inconvenient discomfort.
To apply spark to that misfiring frontline against Algeria on Sunday in Cameroon, Micho will be obliged to first restore confidence in his five forwards – Rogers Mato, Faruku Miya, Emmanuel Okwi, Fahad Bayo and Richard Basangwa.
Then, the 54-year-old Serbian gaffer ought to zeroin on an outright number nine, build cohesion in attacking phases and also summon for help from across the other realms.
It looks that simple on the surface yet the goal scoring dilemma remains a chink in the Cranes’ armour for ages.
To put it into proper perspective, Cranes under Micho (Afcon and Chan) have netted just three goals in the last five matches against DR Congo, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Tanzania (twice).
The pattern is more damning if you factor in the 28 matches Micho has presided over Cranes in his second spell that kicked off with a 2-1 loss to Ethiopia in August 2021.
A return of 23 goals has been recorded in 27 matches that conventionally coincides with a less inspiring and to a large extent absence of a tangible playing style.
On the flipside, Djamel Belmadi’s Algeria, that beat Uganda 2-0 in the corresponding fixture in June last year in Algiers and are already through to Afcon final showpiece, have conceded just one goal in the last seven outings.
Bayo roars
Bayo, now based at Czech club MFK Vyskov, has pledged to step up and bail out Micho by offering the attacking focal point and goal threat against the Algerian defence usually manned by Ramy Bensabaini (Moenchengladbach, Germany) and Aissa Mandi (Villarreal, Spain).
“We know what is at stake but the mentality at this stage from everyone in camp must be at its finest. It is not an easy stage as the young players will need guidance to manage such pressure moments but we are confident,” Bayo told the Fufa website from the team’s Douala-Cameroon camp.
After scoring home and away against Rwanda in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in October 2021, the gangly former Proline and Vipers forward last notched a goal for the national team in the 1-1 draw with Kenya at Kitende in November of the same year.
Bayo is still work in progress and is yet to nail down a permanent slot in the team but at the moment looks a better bargain than skipper Okwi whose productivity has since shrinked, rookies Bassangwa and Mato that are one a learning curve and Miya who is visibly a shadow of his former self.
“It is not easy for strikers. My job is to score goals. If I don’t score it hits me but I need to remain mentally strong. I will score goals. It is all about keeping the faith and more hard work,” he added.
Ironically, Micho rarely fancies offering deft players like Travis Mutyaba and Isma Mugulusi a minutes of play tyet they could have assuaged the burden of expectations on the aforesaid forwards with assists and goals.
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