Halilhodzic: We Will Play an All-Out Attack Against Gambia, Ziani in Bad Shape

Bosnian Manager of the national football squad, Vahid Halilhodzic, vowed Sunday that the Greens will play “an all-out attack” against Gambia on Wednesday clash, as part of the first leg of preliminary qualifiers to the Africa Nations’ Cup 2013.

Mr Halihodzic told a press conference in Paris, where the Greens are holding a short training camp, that “We will go to Gambia with winner spirit. We’ll dare to play an all-out attack.”

For the Bosnian coach, the atmospheric circumstances, including heat and humidity, should not be taken as prejudice to justify any negative performance in Banjul.

“It is true that we are to radically change temperature: from 2 degrees in Paris, to 25 degrees in Banjul. And it is true that we haven’t had enough time to gather all the players; yet, all this should not be taken as an excuse to justify any bad performance,” Halilhodzic explained. 

He further recalled the four games already played between Algeria and Gambia in 2007 and 2008, including two loses endured by the national squad, saying Gambia should be respected as a team. “For me, there’s no more small and big squad. The national squad will play the attack, rather than waiting the opponent in defense and then conduct counter attacks, like it was the fact during the last games against Gambia.”

As for the “controversial” non calling up of playmaker of Qatari al-Jaish, Karim Ziani, the Bosnian coach said: “I’ve taken into consideration the current shape of the players; and I’ve concluded that Ziani would be useless for the squad, as I cannot call him up to put him in the bunch. Ziani’s shape has dropped and unables him to be among the starting eleven.”

The national squad have been training for two days (Saturday and Sunday) in Leonardo da Vinci sport centre, in Lisses, in the southern outskirts of Paris. The team is travelling Monday morning to Banjul, ahead of the Wednesday clash against Gambia.