Zimbabwe beat Zambia 3-1 in 2017 Cosafa Final

(Karuru - Zimbabwe Captain and  Cosafa Top Goal Scorer)

Zimbabwe beat Zambia 3-1 in the 2017 Castle Cosafa Cup in a tactically superior battle of the titans. While playing hard and positive, the display was not direct but calculated.

The Zimbabweans lifted the Cup a record 5th time. They score their 19th goal in 6 matches. 

Eleven of those goals came from Karuru (6) and Mutizwa (5). They showed maturity from match day one until the end.

It must be said that both these countries' players exhibited similar playing intelligence in terms of anticipation, execution of basic technique and tactical awareness.

The final third entry proved to be exceptionally quick and the penetration very sleek for both sides. As a way to cement the point that the two countries deserved to play the final, the play was always switched from flank to flank, channel to channel, zone to zone and unit to unit with great peripheral vision.

It proved to be a great game of football overall and South Africa could do well to take some notes. Most of the game's characteristics result from sound football development structures.

Compared to South Africans, the Zimbabwean and Zambian players calculated 4 to 6 moves in advance like chess players. The Bafana Bafana seem to receive the ball, do everything they way and then decide what to do with it next.

In the group stages, Zimbabwe scored 12 goals without reply, announcing their intentions loud and clear. They were by far the most complete team, with the flawless attacking brand of football and solid defending.

Knox Mutizwa was Player of the Tournament, while Ovidy Karuru top scored with 6 goals. Tanzania provided the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

The 2017 Cosafa format not good

(www.wikipedia.com)

The 2017 Castle Cosafa format is bad and unfair. The thinking behind the idea of denying other players game-time is unclear. 

The Fifa ranking used byes should have been used for group seeding. As it is, lower ranked teams like Zimbabwe, Angola, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and Madagascar come and play 3 matches. 

Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Namibia join in at a later, play 90 minutes and go home, if unlucky. 

A nation must not prepare, camp and travel for a single match, because as seeded teams, they only play quarter finals.

Few players come in as substitutes, play 10 or 5 minutes, lose and go home, just like that. To be fair and for developmental purposes, all teams must play group stages.

Those 10/15 minute players do not have an opportunity to showcase their talents. They come to the tournament looking to audition for the Absa Premier League showcase. Eve though their national teams are ranked higher, coaches get a chance to see more of the unseeded team players. 

Most players want to play more. There is no incentive to be highly ranked if it means playing less. Hopefully, the organisers will have a look and see if their format can be made to benefit all equally. It could be cost related, but then rather compromise on the overall prize money.

Seeded teams can win it after 3 matches, while the qualifiers need 6 matches to win it. These have an advantage of having warmed up to the finals long enough, though burn out and fatigue due to short recovery periods between matches can be counter-productive.

What has been your Cosafa moment so far?