Uganda coach Milutin Sredojevic is expected to summon his squad with several in-form strikers for next month's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana and Guinea today, or at worst, before the end of this week.
A few surprise call-ups are expected to be added to the squad. But with all the pressure mounting on the Serbian coach to guide Uganda to its first Nations Cup since 1978, finding the right balance with the strikers to score goals will preoccupy him most going into those life-and-death fixtures.
Apart from striker Geoffrey Massa, who has scored twice in four qualification games, the other strikers: Emma Okwi, Brian Umony, Robert Ssentongo, Hamis Kiiza, Daniel Sserunkuma and Yunus Sentamu are yet to make their mark particularly in the group stages.
Ssentongo and Kiiza, however, scored in the pre-group qualifiers against Mauritania and Madagascar respectively. Yet, even with that considered, Massa remains largely a stand-alone with a total of four goals in five games. Overreliance on Massa is boggling Micho’s mind.
He told The Observer that he wants to see all his forwards bursting nets at a proficient rate that rhymes with how many they are in his squad, and not just make up numbers. Showing club form for The Cranes is the least Micho expects from his forwards, especially those that have been in scoring form.
Umony scored a brilliant header for KCC FC in their 1-0 over Bright Stars last Friday to cap a week in which he scored once in the 2-2 draw with Vipers FC days before. For Ssentongo, he scored four goals in two games for URA FC against SCVU and Entebbe FC last week and Sserunkuma remains among the top scorers in the Kenya Premier League with 15 goals, as does Sentamu for DR Congo side AS Vita.
Although Sentamu didn’t score in his team’s 2-2 draw against Algeria’s Setif FC, his recent form in the Caf Champions League suggests that he is a good scoring bet. It is against that backdrop that Micho is likely to make a few more additions in scoring form to his squad.
Winger Mike Mutyaba of Vipers FC has scored three goals in his last two games, while Mike Sserumaga of Lweza FC, has been a driving force for the newly-promoted side’s forward line. Although he has only scored once in five fixtures, Sserumaga is seen to bring more if he has his mind in it.
For example, he provides good linkage between the midfield and the attack like a classy number ten does. Sserumaga’s left foot is good enough to shoot, finish and above all, make assists. It’s such a player that Micho craves now, although it goes without saying that Sserumaga remains a time bomb like Micho’s predecessor, Bobby Williamson experienced with Sserumaga.
On the eve of the Senegal game (World Cup qualifier) in June 2012, Williamson dropped Sserumaga for going on a supposed drinking spree.
Inevitably, this affected the team’s balance, as it did Sserumaga’s reputation. Yet if Sserumaga applied himself supremely, he can also solve the creative problems in Micho’s side. Sserumaga can supplement the efforts of Tonny Mawejje who carries Cranes’ creative responsibility through the middle, albeit some limitations, and also Luwagga Kizito and Moses Oloya, who operate from the wings.