Who is Michael Nees, the newly appointed Zimbabwe Warriors head coach?

CHENGETAI NYAMUSHONYONGORA*

HARARE — On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Lincoln Mutasa-led ZIFA Nationalisation Committee appointed Michael Nees as the new head coach of the Zimbabwe Men’s National Team. 

The newly appointed Zimbabwe Senior Men National Team Head Coach, Micheal Nees (57)

According to a statement released by ZIFA, the German national’s immediate objectives include leading the team through the 2025 AFCON Qualifiers and the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

Lincoln Mutasa expressed confidence in the appointment, stating, “ZIFA is confident that Michael Nees’s appointment will usher in a new era of success for the Warriors. 

“His vast experience, combined with his innovative coaching style, makes him the ideal candidate to lead our national team to new heights.” 

We know little of the German coach on the African football scene, who is he and is he good enough to take Zimbabwe to the next level?  

Who is Michael Nees?

Michael Nees (born July 23, 1967) is a German professional football coach and former player who most recently managed the Kosovo national Under-21 team. Nees holds a UEFA Pro Licence and has an average tenure of 1 year and 10 months as a coach in a career that started in 2000. 

He also holds a MA Degree in Sport Science, Performances Physiology and Ethology from the University of Heidelberg. The University is ranked number 55 in the Best Global Universities rankings which makes Nees’ a very qualified and competent candidate in his area of specialisation. 

The German coach also boasts of a coaching qualification known in football circles as the “Life Kinetik”, a training methodology introduced by his fellow countryman, Jurgen Klop. Life Kinetik is a unique training method that combines perceptual tasks with cognitive challenges and fun movements to create new brain cell connections, improving efficiency in everyday life. 

It is the only training of its kind with proven effects in over 30 scientific studies. The training uses a mix of perceptual components (like functional optometry, auditory rhythm, and somatosensory) and cognitive elements (such as working memory, attention, and problem-solving intelligence) paired with unusual movements to ensure variety, enjoyment, and success.

His recent job with the Football Federation of Kosovo saw him in charge from 29 January 2021, to 2 February 2022. During his tenure, Nees presided over seven games, winning two, drawing four and losing one game. 

Before this appointment, Nees served as a Technical Director of Football Federation of Kosovo under the recommendation of the German Football Federation, dealing with all the Kosovo national teams, from youth teams to the senior national team.

Nees had a similar chapter with the Israel Football Association, where he doubled as a Technical Director and Israel U21 Coach from 2013 to 2015. As the Israel U21 coach, Nees managed 12 games, winning eight, drawing one, and losing three. 

In 2008, he served as a technical advisor for the South African Football Federation (SAFA) until 2009. He served Bafana Bafana in a rocky period where the team was struggling for form and preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

Additionally, he was appointed by the Japan Football Association (JFA) as a technical advisor in 2001. Nees also had short, largely unsuccessful coaching stints as the national team coach for Seychelles and Rwanda between 2003 and 2007, winning only one out of a combined five games in this period.

In his appointment statement, Nees stated: “l am a modern and innovative coach who is driven by international challenges and who can think outside the box to gain a competitive advantage. 

“Without a doubt, the Warriors always have great players and massive team potential, but they need to avoid being too predictable to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and the African Cup of Nations. 

“I am confident in achieving these goals because I have the expertise to professionally enhance all major factors of performance; and to make a difference within a short period. I will guide the national team with dedication and professionalism, and work to achieve a winning Zimbabwe that can make the nation proud.”

Michael Nees’ Record and Experience

In my opinion, Michael Nees’s record speaks for itself. 

He has limited experience as a national senior team head coach but has vast experience as a Technical Adviser and in youth coaching. An average tenure of one year and 10 months as a senior men’s team head coach over 24 years is a concern. 

In 24 years, Nees has presided over 24 games, winning 46% (11), drawing 12% (3), and losing 37% (9). These numbers are not that encouraging, and there is no record of him winning silverware with any team he managed, which is another significant concern.

However, assuming he was the best candidate at ZIFA’s disposal, we must focus on the positives he might bring to the Warriors. 

Zimbabwe’s FIFA ranking of 129 (as of July 30, 2024) indicates that we are not a football powerhouse in Africa, and this means we likely cannot afford to hire the best in the market. 

Nees’s biggest area of strength on paper is his role as a Technical Director. This role involves among other things; supporting head coaches in various aspects of training, including managing specific phases, covering for the coach in training, working with small groups on technical and tactical goals, improving individual player skills, creating injury recovery plans with medical staff, handling athletic preparation for multiple teams, and evaluating player and team progress.

The easiest way to understand this role is by picturing Darren Fletcher’s role in the Manchester United coaching setup, Peter Cech’s brief role at Chelsea, or Iningo Dominguez at Manchester City. 

It’s a role that requires extensive knowledge of specific tasks within the team and keeping in touch with the latest high-performance trends in world football. If that’s what Nees brings to the Warriors, we might have something to be excited about.

The Young British Brigade

In the appointment statement, Lincoln Mutasa said, “ZIFA is confident that Michael Nees’s appointment will usher in a new era of success for the Warriors. His vast experience, combined with his innovative coaching style, makes him the ideal candidate to lead our national team to new heights.” 

There’s a fresh core of young British-born Zimbabweans breaking through in the Premier League, talents such as Wolves’ Tawanda Chirewa, who has already impacted the Warriors, and Leon Chiwome, who is yet to debut for the Warriors. 

Other exciting talents include Liverpool’s Trey Nyoni and Isaac Mabaya, Brentford’s young goalkeeper Marley Tavaziva, and Reading’s Tivonge Rushesha among others. 

Was appointing Nees, a coach with a rich history of working with U21s, a deliberate move to nurture this talent and ‘usher a new era of success’ with this young core of players? We hope so. However, ZIFA does not have a rich history of handling the national team strategy this well.

Jairos Tapera’s Soul-Sucking Tenure

I will speak for my many fellow Zimbabweans when I say Jairos Tapera’s appointment and tenure as the substantive Warriors coach drained the little enthusiasm we had left for our beloved Warriors. Without disrespecting Tapera, I think this is the lowest ZIFA has gone. 

His biggest achievement on the recent local football scene was a 13-game unbeaten run with Manica Diamonds. Apparently, according to ZIFA, this was good enough to manage Zimbabwe in the FIFA World Qualifiers and win the COSAFA Cup in a substantive role. 

He lost all his games in the FIFA World Qualifiers and failed to qualify COSAFA, a tournament where Zimbabwe has dominated for years and won six times, just one title shy of being the most successful team together with Zambia. However, the appointment of Nees marks the end of Tapera’s tenure as the Warriors coach, and we will look forward to a new era.

Verdict

In short, for me, Michael Nees’ appointment is a welcome move. I was desperate to have someone better than Jairos Tapera. Nees has vast experience with the technical aspects of managing a national team and working with developing talents. 

If one looks at it from a developmental angle, it might be a fresh course that Zimbabwe will need, paying extra attention to young players and building from the ground up. 

It’s a project that will need time, which I don’t think he has, considering how ruthless football can be. He needs to deliver now and create immediate pathways for youth players into the senior team. 

The numbers behind his coaching career are worrying and inspire little confidence in how he will perform in his immediate duties in the 2025 AFCON Qualifiers and the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. 

However, he may achieve more than what he has done with the teams he coached in the past. 

*Chengetai Nyamushonyongora writes here in his personal capacity.