Uganda Cranes show versatility in attack

The chase for striker Uche Ikpeazu Mubiru to play for the Uganda Cranes was protracted.

In a way, it was a highlight when he made his debut for the team against Mozambique on Friday, September 5 at Namboole stadium in the 2026 World Cup qualifier. However, for Uche, whose debut had seen The Cranes win 4-0, the game on Monday, September 8 against Somalia, seemed like an automatic opportunity for him to realize his full debut.

However, as The Cranes won 2-0, courtesy of an Allan Okello penalty and Jude Ssemugabi, two attackers that had featured prominently in the Africa Nations Championship recently, Uche did not get a kick in.

This raised a few questions as to why Cranes coach Paul Put did not field a player in Uche, who had been on the team’s radar since 2021, yet, to little avail. Is it that Uche did not impress in training, has not fitted into the team, or Put has changed his tactics going forward?

At 6ft 3inches, Uche had been sounded out as the ideal player for Put’s kind of game. Together with Joseph Mpande, who also got a call-up for the World Cup qualifiers, they were expected to have a double impact on the team’s attack because of their lanky body frames.

Yet, seeing the way Cranes combined in the two wins, in which they scored six unanswered goals, the team showed fluidity in attack, probably the closest to what Put dreams of. The combination of the front three of Ssemugabi, Steven Mukwala and Rogers Mato did not only produce some really beautiful goals.

But their overall interplay brought something new to the fore. The fluid attack, where of the three front men, neither stuck in one position to be marked by the centre-back, presented unpredictability, which they utilized in shifting both the Mozambique and Somalia defence lines, to find gaps, which they tried to exploit.

A case in point, was the first goal against Somalia, which saw Mukwala move from his centre-forward position to the left wing. As he held up play, defender Aziz Kayondo made the run-in behind the defence line, a position in which he proved dangerous.

As a result, he drew the foul that resulted in the penalty that was awarded. In addition, with these forwards, and the work-rate they possess, it was evident that their pressing game rushed defences, but also offered a lot of support to the midfield.

This intermittently made it difficult for the opposition to hold onto the ball for as long as they wanted. Instead, they were rushed into passes, which, like was the case in the second goal against Mozambique, proved effective.

The aforementioned attributes are not the kind that Uche easily possesses because of his gangly structure. He is not the fastest of players, as it was seen during the training sessions he had with the rest of the team.

Perhaps, he will need more time to fit into the team’s approach before he becomes a mainstay. But also, maybe with his delay to join the team initially, has come a big cost to him. For the last two years of Put’s tenure, he has been chipping and changing to try and find the right balance to his attack.

And since he had settled with using Muhammad Shaban, Dennis Omedi, Jude Ssemugabi, and most recently Reagan Mpande in a dynamic mobile frontline, it could prove hard for Uche now.

Put has intermittently argued that positions in his team have got to be fought for. But also, he is not the kind that easily changes what is working for him. At some stage, Mukwala, too, struggled to get into his team.

Yet, seeing his craft and swiftness in the two World Cup qualifiers, makes him a true handyman. The Cranes, on 15 points, four behind Algeria, as they continue to chase a 2026 World Cup berth, they are aware that the Desert Foxes just need two points to top the group.

Yet, with the strikers that Put has been using for two years now, they appear to have gained crucial experience for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December, and therefore, changing them may prove hard, much to the chagrin of Uche, who delayed his induction in the team, and now it is probably costing him.