Cranes coach drops winger Kabagambe
Jun 18, 2008
UGANDA will negotiate the Angola hurdle on Sunday without elegant winger Joseph Kabagambe. Cranes head coach Laszlo Csaba for once decided to throw caution to the wind by naming a side whose collective weapon will be pace.
Fred Kaweesi
Sunday 5.30pm
Angola v Uganda
UGANDA will negotiate the Angola hurdle on Sunday without elegant winger Joseph Kabagambe. Cranes head coach Laszlo Csaba for once decided to throw caution to the wind by naming a side whose collective weapon will be pace.
Kabagambe’s omission from the team was the most prominent if not surprising having been a fixture in three of Cranes’ 18-man squads that were assembled against Niger, Benin and Angola.
Csaba punctuated the Angola-bound squad that left yesterday with not just attack-minded players, but also a cluster of figures he feels will run at the Angolan back-four that seemed appalling in Uganda’s 3-1 win last Saturday.
“We have chosen a group we think will do the job in Luanda. We intend to throw everything forward with precision,†Csaba hinted.
The 43-year-old’s thoughts are on starting with three players whose game is built on pace and aggression. That is, Dan Wagaluka on the right, Anthony Bongole waiting in the wings and Geoffrey Massa floating behind target striker Eugene Sepuya.
“I want to make up for the time I have spent out of the team with a scoring performance,†Massa said after learning that he is a likely starter.
All indications are that it will be possible to keep the accelerator flat on the floor under the cool weather in the Angolan capital, with temperatures currently at a moderate 21 degrees centigrade.
Cranes will have to motor in top gear to get the result they need.
Cranes have not won a game away from home since their 2-1 win over Malawi in 2000. FUFA president Lawrence Mulindwa promised each player another sh1.5m for a win. The Cranes 19-hour journey to Luanda will involve stop-overs in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, then DR Congo.
The team that travelled:
D.Onyango, A.Mwesigwa, N.Kizito, T.Batabaire, I.Sekagya, J.Bagoole, D.Wagaluka, M.Serumaga, E.Sepuya, D.Obua, A.Tabula, S.Masaba, A.Bongole, H.Kalyesubula, A.Bajope, H.Wasswa, S.Tenywa, G.Massa, G.Sserunkuma
Key battles: Angola v Uganda
Ze Kalanga v Kizito
IN football, there is a calibre of star players that endure bad days at the office. Only problem is that they bounce back soon after, as Cranes might discover if Angolan midfielder Ze Kalanga is taken lightly on Sunday.
The gangly midfielder had one of his worst appearances in the Angola shades last week at Namboole but that does not disregard the fact that in the 23-year-old, Cranes will still have to contend with the heart and soul of Angola.
Fast, mobile and penetrative, the right-sided midfielder with an imposing stature has built a reputation of setting up crucial goals for the Negras.
Ze Kalanga will be expected to use his position to build Angola’s attacks, but if Kizito can shore up his team’s left side, like he did last Saturday, it will shut the Dinamo Bucharest star’s options and reduce his chances of making a match-winning contribution.
PW D L F A Pts
Angola 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Benin 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Uganda 3 2 0 1 5 5 6
Niger 3 0 0 3 1 5 0
Sunday 5.30pm
Angola v Uganda
UGANDA will negotiate the Angola hurdle on Sunday without elegant winger Joseph Kabagambe. Cranes head coach Laszlo Csaba for once decided to throw caution to the wind by naming a side whose collective weapon will be pace.
Kabagambe’s omission from the team was the most prominent if not surprising having been a fixture in three of Cranes’ 18-man squads that were assembled against Niger, Benin and Angola.
Csaba punctuated the Angola-bound squad that left yesterday with not just attack-minded players, but also a cluster of figures he feels will run at the Angolan back-four that seemed appalling in Uganda’s 3-1 win last Saturday.
“We have chosen a group we think will do the job in Luanda. We intend to throw everything forward with precision,†Csaba hinted.
The 43-year-old’s thoughts are on starting with three players whose game is built on pace and aggression. That is, Dan Wagaluka on the right, Anthony Bongole waiting in the wings and Geoffrey Massa floating behind target striker Eugene Sepuya.
“I want to make up for the time I have spent out of the team with a scoring performance,†Massa said after learning that he is a likely starter.
All indications are that it will be possible to keep the accelerator flat on the floor under the cool weather in the Angolan capital, with temperatures currently at a moderate 21 degrees centigrade.
Cranes will have to motor in top gear to get the result they need.
Cranes have not won a game away from home since their 2-1 win over Malawi in 2000. FUFA president Lawrence Mulindwa promised each player another sh1.5m for a win. The Cranes 19-hour journey to Luanda will involve stop-overs in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, then DR Congo.
The team that travelled:
D.Onyango, A.Mwesigwa, N.Kizito, T.Batabaire, I.Sekagya, J.Bagoole, D.Wagaluka, M.Serumaga, E.Sepuya, D.Obua, A.Tabula, S.Masaba, A.Bongole, H.Kalyesubula, A.Bajope, H.Wasswa, S.Tenywa, G.Massa, G.Sserunkuma
Key battles: Angola v Uganda
Ze Kalanga v Kizito
IN football, there is a calibre of star players that endure bad days at the office. Only problem is that they bounce back soon after, as Cranes might discover if Angolan midfielder Ze Kalanga is taken lightly on Sunday.
The gangly midfielder had one of his worst appearances in the Angola shades last week at Namboole but that does not disregard the fact that in the 23-year-old, Cranes will still have to contend with the heart and soul of Angola.
Fast, mobile and penetrative, the right-sided midfielder with an imposing stature has built a reputation of setting up crucial goals for the Negras.
Ze Kalanga will be expected to use his position to build Angola’s attacks, but if Kizito can shore up his team’s left side, like he did last Saturday, it will shut the Dinamo Bucharest star’s options and reduce his chances of making a match-winning contribution.
PW D L F A Pts
Angola 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Benin 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Uganda 3 2 0 1 5 5 6
Niger 3 0 0 3 1 5 0