‘Flames struggles due to defensive system’

Former Mighty Wanderers general secretary Jimmy Fombe believes the Flames have struggled to score in recent years because predominantly attacking-minded players are being forced into an ultra-defensive system.

Fombe, who is now based in Botswana where he watched the Flames fall 1-0 to the Zebras in Tuesday’s friendly, said the Flames can do better if the coaching panel employs an attacking formation.

“I think our boys are not used to the 4-5-1. There was lack of seriousness, maybe because it was a friendly. Midfielders need to up their game. I saw traces of fatigue on the boys as early as the first minute of the second half,” he said when asked to comment on the team’s readiness for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Namibia.

“We had a lot of unutilised chances to finish the game in the first half, but finishing was poor. The red card [for James Sangala] came from lack of discipline. It was unwarranted, yet deserved. We need to stamp authority on our game, create and use chances other than waiting for our opponents’ mistakes,” he added.

But according to team manager Charles Manda, caretaker coach Eddington Ng’onamo used a 4-1-4-1 formation in Botswana.

Assistant coach Patrick Mabedi hinted that such a defensive approach could be used again in Namibia, saying “there is need to respect them [Namibia].”