Information reaching The Telegraph Sports is that the technical team of the Zebras is already pressing panic buttons ahead of the crucial encounter with Burundi this coming weekend.
After the team suffered a humiliating 4-1 loss to minnows Swaziland in Lobatse on Sunday night, four experienced players who were left from the provincial 30-man squad have been recalled.
The players are Mochudi midfield anchor man, Lemponye Tshireletso, Township Rollers defender, Obuile ‘Osca’ Ncenga, Extension Gunners defender, Musa Ohilwe and Gaborone United left back Edwin Olerile.
The players were an integral part of the previous coach, Stanley Tshosane and it was surprising for the new coach, James Peter Butler to omit them despite their impeccable experience.
Butler opted for more inexperienced players but a 4-1 loss to Swaziland might have led him to re-think of his inexperienced squad.
A source at the Botswana Football Association told The Telegraph Sport that the technical team is now swallowing its pride by calling experienced players because disaster was waiting.
“Lets’ be honest you cannot make wholesale changes to the team that you inherit. You need to build on what you find on the ground or else you would not succeed at all. Look at the record of Zebras since Butler took over. He beat a very disjointed South Sudan that arrived few hours the before match with some players missing. The lost 3-0 to Platinum Stars last week and on Sunday lost 4-1 to Swaziland. What does that tell you with less than a week left before a crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match,” he said.
The biggest challenge for the new coach will be the fitness of the players he has just called because they have already been on holiday for almost two weeks now.
Another challenge will also be the combination factors because they would have less than a week with the ones already in camp. Butler is yet to make a final squad before leaving sometime this week.
