Put must unveil Cranes 'Plan B' on one-year anniversary eve

They say, every rose has its thorn, and for Uganda Cranes coach Paul Put, the sting couldn’t have been sharper than Friday's 2-0 home humiliation by South Africa at Namboole. 

It was a result that felt like a gut punch, unraveling the threads of the Afcon qualification celebration just as they were being woven. 

For a man hailed as a miracle worker - securing Uganda's return to the Afcon finals after a five-year hiatus in just four games - the timing of this dismal showing could not have been worse.

The defeat painted a grim picture of a Cranes side that appeared disjointed, inferior, and bereft of answers against their more cohesive opponents. 

Now, with Congo looming tomorrow, Put must pull an ace from his sleeve, unveil a plan B, and restore faith in a nation whose love for football is as passionate as it is fickle.

Ugandan fans, who streamed out of Namboole brimming with ire and regret, will be watching with hawk eyes, demanding redemption. 

Radical changes

Put won't need rocket science to realize it's time to shuffle his pack, starting with resting the Kitara duo of Dennis Omedi and Jude Ssemugabi. 

Their uninspiring club form predictably spilled over to the national stage, offering little to justify their continued inclusion. 

Equally, the Belgian tactician would be wise to reconsider his unyielding faith in forward  Roger Mato, whose 90-minute horror show against South Africa was arguably the most lackluster performance by a Cranes player in recent memory.

Misplaced, out of ideas, and utterly blunt, Mato's outing epitomized a side crying out for fresh legs and sharper minds.

The midfield, too, demands a radical overhaul. Skipper Khalid Aucho and Tadeo Lwanga, whose schoolboy error gifted Bafana Bafana their opener, should be spared the ignominy of featuring in Tuesday’s dead rubber against Congo. 

With fans still reeling from the Namboole fiasco, the sight of this duo struggling once more would only rub salt into the wounds. 

For Put, this is the moment to experiment, inject vibrancy, and begin to mend the fractured trust of a fanbase desperate for redemption.

Fresh faces

Since his appointment on November 2 last year, Paul Put has meticulously crafted a Cranes outfit built around workaholic speedsters like Dennis Omedi, Roger Mato, Steven Mukwala, and Jude Ssemugabi.

These pacey forwards are typically supported by a creative central playmaker—either Allan Okello or the dazzling Travis Mutyaba—while a double pivot of midfielders, drawn from the likes of Khalid Aucho, Tadeo Lwanga, Ronald Ssekiganda, or Bobosi Byaruhanga, provides defensive and transitional stability.

This high-energy, counter-attacking blueprint has been the hallmark of Put’s reign, yielding notable positive results along the way. However, against the tactical discipline of Hugo Broos’ South Africa, that approach hit a brick wall. 

The visitors’ well-drilled organization nullified Uganda’s pace and space-dependent strategy, exposing its predictability and leaving Put’s team looking bereft of ideas. 

With his favored 4-3-3 system coming undone on home soil, Put  now finds himself with no option but to unveil his elusive plan B - that can save Uganda from its current predictability. 

Pundits predict that Put’s Plan B will spotlight the Cranes’ reserve talents, offering a glimpse into the future while salvaging lost pride. 

Players like Calvin Kabuye(Sandvikens IF in Sweden), and SC Villa’s Hakim Kiwanuka are expected to step up and bring fresh energy to the side. 

Similarly, John Paul Dembe of BK Hacken in Sweden and KCCA duo Shafik Nana Kwikiriza and Saidi Mayanja could inject the creativity and dynamism sorely missing in Namboole. 

Geoffrey Wasswa, plying his trade at Ethiopian Coffee FC, might also bring much-needed stability and composure to the restructured lineup.