I was unable to catch this week’s edition of Soccer Africa
on Supersport, but I did follow proceedings on Twitter. Before even a single ball has been kicked,
many are of the opinion that Zambia will not see themselves out of group C,
which also features Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. Here’s 7 reasons why they are wrong:
Attacking philosophy. Many have said that this year’s success in
Gabon was down to luck. On the contrary, the unprecedented triumph in Libreville was the result of free-flowing, direct
football. Quick transitions between
defense and attack were a hallmark of epic victories against Senegal and
Ghana. The Chipolopolo leave the bus
where it belongs: in the parking lot.
Cohesion.
The current Zambia squad has come up from the youth ranks and are a
close-knit unit. Many have said that the
lack of big names discounts them from the ranks of real contenders. But consider this: the heart of the Zambian starting XI team
play together week-in-week out at Tout Puissant Mazembe in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The transition from
club to country duties is therefore seamless.
Home ground advantage. Johannesburg is a mere two hour flight from
Lusaka, and there are a significant number of Zambians living in South
Africa. During the group stages, Mbombela
Stadium will be packed to the rafters with the Chipolopolo faithful. Expect a lot of support from the host nation,
as regional allegiance will certainly come into play.
Game changers.
Rainford Kalaba is the undisputed midfield general. He makes up for his relatively diminutive stature with sublime ball skills, super-human work-rate and a special knack for
the dead ball. A specialist in collecting the ball deep and efficient distribution with visionary through balls that leave defenses baffled. Also known to be a deadly finisher given half
a chance.
Defense.
The twin-tower pairing of TP Mazembe centre backs Hichani Himonde and
Stophila Sunzu are not known to give the opposition much room to create
opportunities. Behind them are a very safe
pair of hands in Kennedy Mweene, the vocal and enthusiastic Free State Stars goal-minder
who many have touted to take over the Zambia captaincy in the near future
Leadership.
The talismanic Christopher Katongo is every coaches dream captain. Even on a bad day, his mere presence in the
squad inspires confidence in his teammates.
Katongo is composed in front of goal and will punish any slack defensive
work. Chris is comfortable playing out
wide on the right, and is known to drop deep to collect balls from his own half
to orchestrate a Zambian attack.
Self-belief.
The class of 2012 shrugged off
the “underdog” tag the entire world pinned on them and walked away with an
historic maiden Nations Cup title. Undoubtedly
the boys will want to silence all critics for good at next years tournament. Many players in the current squad play in
Africa or minor European leagues and will be looking to have an impressive
tournament so as to boost their professional careers, fully knowing scouts will
be in the stands watching. This will
certainly present a problem for the so called “big names” of African football
Ignore the defending champions at your own peril!
