Cranes injury crisis deepens

By Fred Kaweesi

World Cup qualifier

Saturday, 4pm

Uganda v Angola

CRANES’ preparations for Saturday’s World Cup qualifying showdown against Angola are being undermined by an injury crisis.

Apart from the possibility of losing striker Emmanuel Okwi for the make-or-break fixture this weekend, the Cranes medical team is also striving to ensure first choice goalkeeper Denis Onyango recovers from the ankle knock he suffered in training yesterday.

Okwi, who scored the all-important equaliser against Angola during the two sides’ meeting in Luanda, sustained a thigh injury after colliding with Liberia defender Ansu Toure last Saturday.

He decided to carry on and although he was substituted in the later stages of the game, it seemed the Tunisia-based striker had aggravated it by then.

Okwi did not train with the rest of the team on Monday but was involved in the afternoon session yesterday although with a lot of precautionary measures.

“We will rest him and see how he trains in the afternoon,” coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevich had hinted earlier in the morning before being confronted by another scare in the goalkeeping department.

Onyango was expected to return to the first team after serving a one-match suspension.

But that might just not happen unless he shakes off that recurring injury problem on his left knee.

The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper hinted it is the same injury that ruled him out of competitive football for a period of three months almost a year ago.

What are the options?

In the event that Okwi is ruled out, Micho will have three choices in Dan Sserunkuuma, Hamis Kiiza or Robert Ssentongo from which to choose who will partner lead striker Geoffrey Massa in attack.

There is a suggestion that Micho might consider Sserunkuuma ahead of the other two given that he chose the Gor Mahia striker as Okwi’s replacement against Liberia.

Enough has been seen and said of Serunkuuma, looking at his achievements with Gor Mahia throughout the previous season, where he scored 17 goals —an unbelievable return for a player whose tiny size was dwarfed by 99% of the defenders he battled through the entire season.

Sserunkuuma’s first touch continues to be brilliant and movement into the box good enough to counter even gangly defenders twice his 5ft 1 inch size.

Sserunkuuma is not so different from Ssentongo, which means Kiiza will only be considered if the Serbian opts for a different tactical approach. 

Unlike Sserunkuuma and Ssentongo, Kiiza thrives more on good positional sense in the box and above all the anticipation of being in the right place at the right time.

Joseph Mpande is also another attacking option.

In a related development, Angola will make the trip to Kampala without their lead striker Manucho Goncalves.

They will consequently rely on Brazil-based Geraldo, Mateus Galliano and Afonso Guilherme, who scored in Angola’s 1-1 draw against Senegal last weekend.