Renard caught Offside!

FRANKLYN MALAMBO writes WHILE opinions ought to be respected and not questioned, they can be influenced by a lot of factors among them one’s own desires either present or future. With such desires increasing the level of bias, clouded judgment may abound. This looks like the case for former Chipolopolo coach Herve Renard as he has sent tongues wagging over the best eleven he has ever coached which he reviewed in conversation with Ghanaian Juliet Barwuah. With no Zambian making the cut, it may point to the fact that he wants to please the hearts of those that once called him ‘only a physical trainer’. He has not made it secret that he wants to return to Ghana this time around in the main seat and win the AFCON with them. During his two spells in Zambia, words such fantastic were not too far off his lips as he sang songs of praise for his troops. Surprisingly, none of the fantastic has made his best eleven plus three. I initially elected to ‘respect’ his opinion but after some thought, light donned that maybe the Frenchman needed some reminders of who he may have left out as his judgment could have been clouded by his interests in the West African state. ‘’For me he is one of the best in Africa, maybe in the top 15.’’ These were his words in respect of Rainford Kalaba to Goal.com when Chipolopolo were coasting at the 2012 AFCON. How then does such a man he so highly ranked not make the cut? Granted, safety first is his underlying credo but it doesn’t mean he never benefitted from the work of the ‘master’ as he fondly called Kalaba. Especially that his teams rarely dominated possession, Kalaba was always key in the precious little moments when his team had the ball. This is a man who over a number of years solved attacking puzzles for Renard’s Chipolopolo.  Kalaba took matters in his own hands and did not only help the team progress upfront with yards of space covered but added assists and goals. Even just his presence in a team, lifted the spirits of both the coach and players. It was no surprise then that during the same interview in 2012, Renard further said about Kalaba: “…if not for his suspension in 2010, Zambia would have reached the Semi-final.”  He has chosen to forget. Another stalwart he called upon severally was Stoppila Sunzu. He called on him not once but twice at two different clubs in addition to Chipolopolo. First he pulled him from Congo DR to Sochaux and years later to Lille from China. On both Occasions Sunzu was at the core of his teams contributing handsomely at both ends of the pitch. The fact is had he not been good enough, he wouldn’t have called upon him at Jobs which he worked hard to get especially at the core of the armory. At Lille he summed up with “..Sunzu is a rock.” I can bet my last ngwee that had the Frenchman been coaching a club side now, Sunzu would have been at the heart of his defence.  A shout out would also do for men like Mweene who was immense during Renards entire stay, Mayuka who was central to the 2012 operation and of course Chris Katongo for his industry. His best eleven may be made up of those that he felt were more talented but he himself should know that talent alone cannot suffice without the right attitude toward work and will to do all it takes to conquer, attributes the Zambian lads furnished him with. For a man that has freedom to roam the width and breadth of Zambia at will and for how much the Zambian players raised his profile, a little more gratitude and acknowledgement would do. He wouldn’t be doing anyone a favour. Records are there and will never be erased. Considering he played as a defender, he may have been rarely caught offside but on this one, he clearly is offside. The Sun