RVG says Flames on right track

Despite crashing out of the 2019 Afcon qualifiers after losing to Comoros, National football team coach Ronny van Geneugden (RVG) has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Flames.

He said they are moving in the right direction.

The Flames mentor was reacting to the team’s elimination from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers following the 2-1 loss to Comoros on Saturday.

“We should not have an attitude whereby when we win then everything is good and when we lose then everything is bad.

“We have to look at the bigger picture. We have a strong foundation and a good development programme [in place].

“So, I would say we are going in the right direction,” said RVG on Sunday evening.

He said the team created a plethora of chances, but failed to make them count.

“We had both the [TNM] Super League leading scorers Chiukepo [Msowoya] and Gastin [Simkonda] and it’s just bad lack that we are failing to score.

“So, the programme for next month is to continue bringing in young players that are ready such as Patrick Phiri who came in as a substitute in Comoros and showed strong character by scoring a goal.

“Now, we need to draft more of them from the Under-20 and Under-23 teams into the senior team step by step,” he said.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu on Monday said the rebuilding exercise did not yield the desired results.

“But I am sure this will put us in a good stead for the future. It was a necessary investment that has seen a lot of talented players coming into the team, but unfortunately, it has come at a cost,” he said.

However, football analyst George Kaudza Masina said the Flames have not made any progress under RVG.

“What is there for him to show? Among the targets set for him were to win the Cosafa Cup and qualify for Nations Cup, but he has failed. Winning just two out of 19 games is a shame and if we can’t beat Comoros then where is the progress?” he said.n