BARNABAS ZULU
COPPER Queens coach Nora Häuptle says her team has recovered well from their 2-2 draw with hosts Morocco and is now fully focused on adjusting tactically in today’s Group A encounter with Senegal at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Swiss tactician praised her side’s effort and execution against Morocco and believes the performance indicators from that game show Zambia is on the right track.
“We are recovering well from the opening game. We had some good video analysis from the game, so also the stats-wise we should have won the game. I think most of our performance is very good,” Häuptle said.
“We gave Morocco the possession but all the other parameters we have been controlling, defending very well, we were transitioning and we created a lot of chances on this equal ability.”
Zambia faces a different test against a Senegal side that won their opening match 4-0 over DR Congo. Häuptle noted the challenge Senegal presents, but remains confident in the team’s tactical flexibility.
“Basically it’s a bit of a completely different game on Wednesday because Senegal has other attributes and skills than Morocco. So, we expect an opponent that is physically very robust for our players. We will try to come up with the physicality,” she explained.
“So it’s again to find the right defence approach. I think against Morocco, we showed that we have been very smart in our game plan defensively. So I am sure we also adjusted the right screws against Senegal.”
The coach underlined her belief in Zambia’s counter-attacking strength, calling it one of the best in the tournament.
“It’s again our transitions. I think we can say we are the best transition team in this tournament. So, we are going to hurt them in those moments. We are still working a bit to adjust our possession style. This time, we want to be very initiative on the ball as well,” she said.
On the injury front, Häuptle provided a cautiously optimistic update on goalkeeper Catherine Musonda and winger Xiomara Mapepa, who both missed the opening match at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
“Catherine Musonda our first choice goalkeeper was out for the first game but she was part of our training session as well as Xiomara Mapepa. We need to see the improvement up to tomorrow and then we can give you an update if they are in the lineup,” Häuptle said.
