NEW Warriors coach Michael Nees has bemoaned limited time to prepare the team for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon.
The two matches will be played in Uganda.
The Zimbabwe men’s national football team gaffer was yesterday presented to the media, after securing a work permit.
Nees said the target was to qualify for the finals, but admitted that they are working under pressure after the appointment process ate into the preparatory time.
He said that the big challenge would be working with a new set of assistant coaches as well as new players in such a short period.
Zimbabwe will open their campaign with a clash against Kenya in Kampala, Uganda, before they host Cameroon, also in Kampala, since there is no Caf-approved stadium for international matches in Zimbabwe.
“We need to embark on a good start,” Nees told reporters in Harare yesterday.
“We must play disciplined football with confidence and passion. If we apply that, then the rest will follow. I admit we are under pressure because we don’t have time.
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“Working in the national team, there is always pressure because of limited time. I have developed my own strategy. With the national team you have probably three or four training sessions before the match.
“I am confident that I can use time efficiently, but the staff doesn’t know me and the players don’t know me yet. We have to get the message to the players very quickly.”
Nees said he has already done his homework on the players that he might want to work with and had conversations with some of them.
Nees said he spoke with 25 foreign-based players and he was looking forward to watching locally-based players as he puts together his squad for the two key Group J qualifiers.
He was given the job ahead of over 300 other applicants and admitted that it was a rigorous and tough process.
Nees said that he was inspired by Zimbabwe’s passion for the game, having coached Seychelles when they played the Warriors at the National Sports Stadium.
“The first game in which I was in charge of Seychelles was in Zimbabwe and we played in the National Sports Stadium. We lost 3-1, but I said we can beat you in Seychelles,” he said.
“But when we played Zimbabwe I was impressed by the potential and the passion. There are not many countries where 60 000 people would come to watch their team play against the smallest team in Africa.
“That showed me that this is a real football country. Since then, I have followed Zimbabwe football from a distance and when the opportunity arose to apply for the coaching job, I thought I should try and take it.
“I also followed the news that Zimbabwe was banned by Fifa and then came back. I know Zimbabwe have to start afresh and grow and that inspired me.”
He said the interview “was professional and it was not easy”, adding that:
“I don’t know who went through all the 300 CVs but it was very professional.”
Nees said he experienced a positive spirit and that the interview process was quite different from what he had experienced elsewhere.
“I did my best to convince the selection committee.”
Nees said he wants to exploit the abundant potential that Zimbabwe has.
“So from here, it’s not just about having a job. It’s about moving forward and exploiting the potential. But one thing is you have to pull in the same direction and be realistic and positive,” the German said.
“I just ask everyone to pull in the right direction. If we pull in different directions, we will not succeed. Zimbabwe have not reached their absolute potential.
“The previous coaches did well. They helped the team to qualify, but they didn’t reach their full potential. We have good players in top leagues.
“We have good players. Sometimes challenges come from the mixture. We need the right people and the right strategy. We need to release energy and they can perform to their potential.”
