SO IF CHICKEN GEORGE SITS WHILE MUTAPA STANDS AND COMMUNICATES WITH PLAYERS, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PROBLEM?

SO IF CHICKEN GEORGE SITS WHILE MUTAPA STANDS AND COMMUNICATES WITH PLAYERS, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PROBLEM?

By Godfrey Mwansa Chikumbi

It is weird that even when Zambia wins, some people still have to find something negative to talk about.
Now the issue is that Coach George Lwandamina sits down while his assistant, Oswald Mutapa Jr; stands on the touchline.

Seriously? Since when did standing become a measure of coaching ability?

Most of the people criticising Chicken George probably don’t even watch him at Nchanga Rangers. He has always been a coach who is comfortable sitting down and allowing his assistant to handle some of the touchline duties. So this is not something he has suddenly started doing with Chipolopolo.

Football is about results, tactics, organisation and decisions. It is not about which coach spends the most time standing.

And for those saying the head coach must be the one standing on the touchline, that is simply not true.

The Laws of the Game are actually very clear on this. Under Law 1: The Field of Play, The Technical Area, IFAB states:

“Only one person at a time is authorised to convey tactical instructions from the technical area.”
Notice that it does not say the head coach must be that person.
So if Lwandamina sits while Mutapa stands and communicates with the players, what exactly is the problem?

It can simply be division of responsibility.

The head coach can sit back and look at the bigger picture while the assistant handles immediate communication with the players.

Some coaches want to be right on the edge of the technical area. They shout, gesture, give instructions and are constantly involved physically.

Others prefer to sit, observe and think.

Neither approach automatically makes one coach better than the other.

There are good coaches who are very animated on the touchline and there are equally successful coaches who are much calmer.

Look at coaches such as Arsène Wenger, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. All have had plenty of matches where they spent long periods sitting on the bench rather than pacing the touchline.

Wenger was known for his calm observation of matches. Mourinho, despite being one of football’s more animated personalities, has also spent plenty of time sitting on the bench during big games. Ancelotti is another coach who often watches matches calmly from his seat.

Nobody says Ancelotti isn’t coaching because he is sitting down.

So why should Lwandamina be judged differently?

There is also a practical reason for having an assistant on the touchline.

The assistant is closer to the players and can immediately communicate what the technical team wants. He can watch particular players, monitor the defensive shape, speak to substitutes warming up and give the head coach information about what is happening on the pitch.

Meanwhile, the head coach can sit back and analyse the whole game.

Think about it this way: one coach can be the voice while the other is watching the bigger picture.

That is not weakness. It is called is teamwork.

Some coaches also deliberately avoid being too emotional on the touchline. A calm coach can watch, assess and then make a decision.

And sometimes the assistant is simply the more energetic personality. Let him do that job.

Mutapa standing does not mean Lwandamina is doing nothing.

Lwandamina sitting does not mean he has lost control of the team.

It simply means the two coaches have different roles.

At the end of the day, we should judge a coach by what his team does on the pitch and not by how many times he gets out of his seat.

If we want to discuss Zambia, let’s discuss the formation, the performance, the substitutions, the tactics and the result. Those are legitimate football conversations.

But turning the coach sitting on the bench into a national crisis is unnecessary.

And honestly, it is disappointing that after a Zambia victory yesterday against Togo, some fans immediately start looking for something to complain about.

We won. Celebrate the victory. Analyse the football. Give the coach credit where it is due.

Chicken George does not need to stand for 90 minutes to prove that he is the coach.

Congratulations CHICKEN GEORGE AND TEAM!