World Cup is too high a target for Zambia, says Herve Renard
KickOff.com speaks exclusively to Zambia’s coach Herve Renard on the eve of his team’s African Nations Cup quarterfinal with Nigeria in Lubango on Monday.
How delighted are you with a place in the last eight?
“It’s a good achievement. Before the tournament I spoke a lot about making our target to reach the quarterfinals. I think some people thought I was a little bit mad. But when we were in our training camp in Johannesburg we spoke a lot to the players about this and about reaching the quarterfinals as our target. Even if the group was very tough, we were sure of our objective. We are so happy because not many believe in us. As a coach I did not have too many supporting me.”
Is this some consolation for not qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa?
“No, it’s not a consolation. The World Cup is too high a target for Zambia. A lot of people don’t agree with me but I continue to say it’s too early for Zambia.
For you personally, what has been achieved here in Angola is a great way for a young coach to make a name and create an international profile?
“I was with Claude LeRoy as assistant coach of Ghana but I came to Zambia because I’m ambitious. It was a very good opportunity for me. People won’t be happy if I say I have had to work with an average team. When I came they were ranked 13th in Africa. Zambia have qualified for a lot of Nations Cups but since 1996 they haven’t been to the quarterfinals. One of my early targets was to say that we could again go to the second round. I am ambitious for myself. I want to coach a very big team elsewhere in the world or in Africa. If it is possible, a team like Cameroon or Ivory Coast.
What are the qualities of your team?
“There is a lot of skill, to compare with the best in Africa. We have a lot of skillful players. But we need better organisation because one of the difficulties is the players sometimes forget on the pitch what they need to do. We also don’t have a player with big international experience. Sometimes they are afraid of big names and big teams but we have nothing to fear really. Physically we can hold our own. What has been missing is the experience. The best example was in the recent game against Cameroon were we played so well in the first half and we were in the game until just a few minutes to go but made mistakes and got punished. This side has a lot of potential. They can be proud of what they have done.”
Is it easier not having a big star player, like Didier Drogba or Samuel Eto’o, in your side?
“I’d prefer to have Drogba in my team! These are players who can make all the difference for a team. I often joke with Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia FA president) that we could win this Nations Cup if he was still playing at his peak. What we are really missing is one very strong defender with a lot of experience. A big captain, who can take the side up to another level.”
What about your chances against Nigeria?
“We played them three weeks ago and we played very well (the Nations Cup warm-up match in Durban ended goalless). I think now teams will be very careful about Zambia. We will go out to play our football, try to stay organised and try to play as quick as we usually do. Our offensive players have the capability of making a difference. There is a risk what the players might be satisfied with reaching the quarterfinals but I have already talked to them about this. We have to set ourselves a new target. I don’t want the players to be satisfied, we must try now to get a medal. Everything from now on is a bonus, but we must take these bonuses.”
Is there a fear perhaps about playing a team with as formidable a reputation as Nigeria?
“We don’t care who we are playing against. It is our team that can create a lot of problems for the big sides. I told the players in 2008 they were looking at the shoes of Samuel Eto’o, now they are on the same pitch as him. Zambia has a team with great potential for the future, with several new players who have done well here. Mbola, Sunzu, Thomas Nyirenda at right back. There is super potential in Zambia but we need better facilities if we are to reach our potential.”
Mzansi Football and KickOff.com
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OK bye bye nomba ba Herve
Dont blame the Chef, if you have rotten ingredients its bad from the start.
Go Herve, go to Angola ..
HE’S HAD IT WITH THE NEGATIVITY THAT WE ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE, WE EXPECT MUCH AND DO NOTHING AND HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. THANKS FOR MAKING US HAPPY ONCE AGAIN HERVRE
it seems some people balalyamo even where they are not suppose to. we forget so easily about things that’s the reason we always fail. how can one compare kalu to herve, when he completely failed the last two years back? which team did he build when he hates almost every player that comes out in open for something fruitful. mind you its one zambia one nation. lets there be no segregation
I agree with you 100%, Lopa
Thank You Herve Renard, you are very Honest, unfortunately this country is full of failures and haters (Pull Him Downers). We are a very ungrateful lot. They all want to be experts in football. As Ba Glorius Band sang ‘ ukulanda kwalianguka, Ukubomba kwalishupa’. We are all foam and no beer. Shame on all you critics like that Kalumiana, your objective is purely SATANIC.
Leave the Man alone, he has achieved what many repeatedly failed to do including that Phiri when we got clobbered 5-1!
Viva Herve Renard Viva
We can not blame herve for our team’s performance,we need to put our house in order as a country.We have the skill but we dont have the winning spirit ,thats why we can not win the afcon.Our players need to believe in themseves as the best in the world no matter what herve says.We dont need higher profile players but team work to win,look at what happened to Ivory coast with all their higher profile players.Renard can go after all he came from nowhere,to build his CV in zed.Remember potterfield he came from nowhere and reached the finals of the Afcon with chipolopolo in 1994,went for high profile job after that his carear went down the toilet.Zambians we are patient people in other high profile jobs this character is running for he would have not even gone to Afcon,he would have been fired in the qualifiers.Renard needs us more than we need him so let the bugger go for his high profilr job.
Give credit where it is due, the expectation of Zambians is quite high when they know we do not have players of high quality.Step out of the past and accept reality, we players we have are of low quality.
We are only good at critizing and stealing.
I`ve never seen peolpe who are never content with anything like zambians.Till we change our attitudes,we`ll be changing coaches like we change boxers on daily besis without anything achieved.Renard has done well the least we can do is say thank.No one can achieve a thing without support.
Renard is a soccer analyst and not what we consider him to be for Zambia. He is so far very lucky. He found a team already psyched by Kalu. I would not mind having him back in his previous status as employer employing himself within FAZ constitution. That is just a rule which can be changed. We can go the Patel ways or indian philosophy in running shops. And am sure Zambia will go a long way. Imitating our colonial masters has not helped us in anyway. They have even failed to build us a simple stadium. How I wish we were colonised by the choncholi.
Facilties we may not have but like many areas of our life we have failed to tap into a very important God given resource…talent…HR himself says the Zambians know how to play football but may lack discipline in a certain areas…
If we are serious about the world cup its not too late to start preparing for 2015..we need to up our facilities keep a jealous and close guard over our current crop of players organise many friendlies well in advance and set two targets to win the Africa Cup in 2012 and go to the world in 2015…it can be done but we need to invest in the game.
Look at Ghana their side speaks volumes of a team on a mission…they took a tough a bit naive squad to cafcon but come 2012 they will very diffcult to build…
HR was right we had a dream for 2010 but it was a big dream we simply expected the lads to don their suits and play soccer…by the way when are we going to revert to the Orange and Black my eyes love so much all this green and white nonsense puts a dull taste in my mouth.
Ok..people. lets be real. we all love our country and team, but we do not have facilities period. this has already been a great achievement. hate him or love him HR has done a good job. we had Egypt and Algeria in our WC group. did you really expect us to be top? we all hoped, but lets not expect when we know the reality. Now…we have done really well here…lets be together and that includes supporting our coach. dont hate someone for telling the truth. we will get to the final.
if yo can not see any truth in this interview then i dont know. i read kalu’ interview first and the two articles really hold the key to success. renard can leave he is on his own journey zambia is just a spot on the way, but next coach be phiri it or who ever has to do better than what renard has done. the football fans, faz have be the critics. lets set standards and goals ourselves and see how we perform.
Is it not amazing that when a person is cautious, some people take such a one as a fool or idiot?
Why do we hate realism, and love to burry our heads in the sand? Someone has stated the truth about how he feels and where he wants to go to fulfil his aspirations.
There is no reason why one should be an idiot for diagnosing your condition. Instead of insulting the doctor, find out what course of action you need to take to save your life. In this case the coach has spoken inclussively that we need better facilities.
We need to put ourselves back on the map in the world of sport. We need better sports facilities in Zambia to boost the morale of our boys.
This the most useless coach I have ever come across. Zambia would have done well with Phiri. GO HOME YOU IDIOT
Leave this man alone. You can not tell the length of the flog not untill it dies. soon we will see the truthfulness of these words when HR leaves for onother team.
Thank you Herve. You have spoken your mind truthfully and honestly. Nigeria will fall. Zambia for the first time in this cup history are the champions this year. The gun powder is dry now keep it safe and we trust in God to give us this year the championship. There will be much anxiety and heartache, but joy shall come in the morning.
I think Cameroun like us don’t have great facilities probably the reason they always shy away from hosting ACN, so facilities isn’t an excuse. I hope Mr Renard you’re just playing mind games otherwise no country would like to hire you because after a while you would start comparing them to Italy and English facilities. My advice is achieve something tangible with this mediocre team, but please not quarter finals we’ve been there before many times. We’re not Malawi or Botswana you see!
Ever heard of mind games?He could be playing underdog, but at the back of his mind he knows Nigeria is only good on paper. I hope Yobo plays because am sure our players watch him every weekend. He’s lying he wants the cup just as all do. The fact is the only heavy weight at the moment is Egypt, the team like Zambia with no stars but well mounded. We don’t need pre Madonnas but a well drilled team Mr Renard.
Very honest and brave, I like him. Please fellow Zambians stop being soooooooooo big for your own shoes. We do not even have a staduim and we want to win a tourney of this magnitude.Be real. Thanks for reminding us that we need to develop and build a good team, please stay and do it.
Does Renard know the history of Zambian soccer? If he did he would not set such low targets.Whenever we employ a foreign coach we need to give him our history so that he has a perspective. For Sarkozy’s sake we have been runners up twice! And Bronze medallists twice!And we never bask in a quarter-final appearance! Mwamona nomba mwe baletutwala ku Nations Cup naba Patrick Phiri..Successors will use that as a yardstick!Au Revoir Monsiuer Renard
OK IT IS KIND OF SHOCKING THAT A COACH CAN ACTUALLY SET SUCH LOW TARGETS IN A TOURNEY OF THIS MAGNITUDE AND ACTUALLY SAY IT OUT LOUDLY. THIS IS MEDIOCRITY. FROM HERE ON ZAMBIA CAN GET KNOCKED OUT AND IN REINARDS WORLD, THATS STILL CLOUD 9 MATERIAL?? YABA, NO WONDER KALUMIANA LOST HIS MARBLES IN HIS ARTICLE IN THE POST YESTERDAY?
This guy is just tryin to be modest and strategic. u dont give away too much info to the enemy!
World Cup is not too high a target for Zambia, what our team lacks is adequate preparations. If you look at how our national team measures up with the big teams like Cameroon and Tunisia, no much differences.
Secondly,It is wrong for a coach to set own target. In football his employers are supposed to set the target. As much as we appreciate Renard`s efforts to get to quarters finals of the Africa Cup, the expectation of the country was qualification to the World Cup. Zambians no longer look up to the Africa Cup so much. When Renard was engaged the expectation of the people was qualification to the World Cup, but it seems we engaged a guy who did not align his capabilities to the expectations of his employers. Zambia should have been at the World Cup had we put adequate preparations and also engaged a an experienced and smart coach, with self belief.
Thirdly, at his age and experience , qualification to the quarter finals of Africa Cup is a very big deal to Renard, which is no big deal to Zambia because we have been to the finals before and we have beaten Italy 4-0 before.
Lastly, all the best to Chipolopolo boys, we dont doubt your abilities to beat the Super Eagles.
Well said. This man is brutally honest.
Please stay Renard! Zambians will eventually warm up to you. I know you are not feeling the love, but stick with this team, nurture it, win some titles, qualify to the next AC & WC, and then just you watch…
I feel this coach needs to be relieved of his duties, he lacks personal motivation, therefore he can not motivate his players. I wonder who set him such a low target, reaching the second round! There is a trophy to be won, and that should be the altimate goal for any team that is playing in the tournament. You would even wonder what strategy he has for Nigeria, his mind is already at the set at securing the next available big job.
Great interview Renard.