ZAMBIA national team boss Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic has relied heavily on online training, and will continue to do so in the coming months while international football remains sidelined.
Sredojevic had hoped to lead the side to the postponed African Nations Championship in Cameroon, but the fact that the dream was deferred has not stopped the players, and the coach, from working hard on the sidelines.
“I need to give credit to our players that they have really taken it (online training) very seriously,” Sredojevic told ZNBC’s Sport On Program.
Sredojevic is working on a core group of players, with his initial trimmed down squad of 28 being increased to 55 as he casts his net wide.
“The group of 55 players are going in the seventh week of the intensive work. I could say that we have reached a certain level based on controlling mechanism, and we have seen where they are.
“Very crucial was setting to a Plan B under the Covid-19, which was setting up 85 exercises that are done in closed space where players are, exercises that are treating the whole body.
“We have done the consultation even among others, the fitness team of (tennis great) Novak Djokovic in terms of what is the best for us to keep the players going over the bridge of Covid-19... so that once we get over the bridge, we have the comparative advantage ahead of other teams.”
Sredojevic said they hope to host a long-overdue goalkeeping course in the country, the first since 1998, when restrictions are lifted in a bid to increase skills in this area.
“Based on the information that we have, the schools are supposed to open in June. We are also looking to use this, probably one area which has been so much
