The 2015 African Cup of Nations kickoff this weekend in Equatorial Guinea and Zambia begin its campaign against neighbours DR Congo, then North African opposition Tunisia and islander Cape Verde.
Pedigree wise, Zambia is one of the top seeded sides and many believe the boys from Lusaka should have had a crack on the AFCON title.
But that’s not the case from the Football House hierarchy, who have already communicated to coach Honour Janza that this is the rebuilding phase and Janza has obliged by sending what many pundits and fans are describing as an average side.
Yes, it can’t be compared to the class of 2012 or the ’94-96 sides or those pre-Gabon disaster sides but this team has the talent.
Should Janza come out with the right permutations then Zambia might just surprise many.
Atleast no one is expecting them to win the tournament but it’s about the country’s reputation at stake.
A first round exit will be embarrassing and thus Janza’s should try to work hard and get the boys even to the quarter finals and anything beyond that will be a bonus.
So who will be Janza’s key men in Equatorial Guinea?
Emmanuel Mayuka – Southampton, England
Forget the players who have been left behind. It’s time to focus at what Zambia has at the moment in that squad and Mayuka’s remains Zambia’s best hope.
The 23 year old striker is not in the best shape but should he explode at the tournament then Zambia might just have a good tournament after all.
Going into the tournament, not even Janza knows what to get from the former Kabwe Warriors strikers,that’s how tricky things are at the moment.
Other options:
Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba – Nkana.
If Sate Sate will be played in the hole as a continental no.10 then it will be wasting his strengths. He is in the team to get the goals and play him as centre-back.
There’s a feeling that Janza is earmarking him for a super sub role.
Patrick Ngoma – Red Arrows
The on-loan teenage striker from Edusport could be revelation in Equatorial Guinea if he shakes off that twisted ankle.
Rainford Kalaba – TP Mazembe, DR Congo
The new Chipolopolo captain has to make things happen on the pitch as he is Zambia’s main man at the tournament.
In the last two years or so, Kalaba has had a tendency of disappearing in the games and just show flashes. Without the other big guns like Chris Katongo and Isaac Chansa, he has to show it for 90 minutes.
Best Position: Continental no.10/Left winger
Other Positions: Central Midfielder/Right Winger
Chisamba Lungu – Ural, Russia
It’s time for Chisamba to come to the party and show his talent. If Kalaba is having a bad game then Chisamba is the next one who is supposed to be winning games for Zambia.
First, he has to do less showboating and try to play more direct high up the pitch.
While he has the attributes of playing in central midfield, Chisamba is best suited on the flanks or just behind the lone striker in the hole and encouraged/reminded not to drop.
Another area he has to work on is getting goals and assists.
Best position: Right winger/ Continental no.10
Other Positions: Central Midfielder, Right/Left Full back, Left Winger
Lubambo Musonda – FC Ulisses, Armenia
The 19 year old is one of the highly rated players at the tournament and many Chipolopolo faithful have placed high hopes on the boy from Eastern Europe.
The right footed winger was definitely the standout player in the last two and final qualifiers but that was off the bench.
Lubambo should be steadily brought into the side. Janza should resist the temptation of handing him a starting berth birth.
For now a role as an impact player off the bench will be best for the boy but in case, he is given starting berth let him play on the left wing where he has been causing havoc for his club and that means Kalaba in the hole and Chisamba on the right wing, then we might see the best of the trio.
Best Position: Left Winger
Other Positions: Right winger/Attacking Midfielder
Nathan Sinkala – TP Mazembe, DR Congo
Stop Nathan Sinkala from playing then you will stop Zambia. Zambia has been struggling simply because the midfielder has been off form.
Alongside Kalaba, Kennedy Mweene and Stopilla Sunzu, he is one of the untouchables in the team.
Stopilla Sunzu – Shanghai Shenshua, China
The impressive showing of Kondwani Mtonga against South Africa could be a welcome boast for the team but Sunzu is Zambia’s defence king-pin.
He might have moved to China but the 25 year old will be key in Equatorial Guinea.
Mayuka is a bench warmer so he should be confined to the bench even in the national team. Lets partiner Sate sate with Evans Kangwa upfront
Ba Mumbi mwalasa, YES , The Boss please partner Kangwa and Sate Sate like they use to play at Nkana please we berg
My prefered starting 11;
Sate Sate Evans Kangwa
Chisamba Rainford Lubambo
Lungu Kalaba (C) Musonda
Nathan Sinkala
Emmanuel Rodrick
Mbola Kabwe
Stophila Kondwani
Sunzu M’tonga
Kennedy
Mweene
How can one rally behind a bunch of small boys???? It’s a pity that we have a very inept coach whose poor team selection and tactics will be finally exposed at the biggest soccer bonanza in Africa. This team has not been consistent enough, They are lucking that swag and experience necessary to win this prestigious tournament. Egypt won this competition three times in a roll because of consistency and swag. They had the chemistry and a very experienced coach in Hassan Shehata. He was a great thinker of football. A philosopher of this beautiful game and not a bunch of jokers that we have here!
Wow, maybe you should support Egypt in the tournament. Oh wait…. The team has been chosen. Either move on or quite whining.
Positive Thinking, i am here to help people like you realize that we have wrong people managing our football and the national team.
I gave Egypt as an example because they where very organised back then. They were not disorganized as we are. They had an experienced coach. A great thinker of football. An intelligent coach. A coach who clearly translated his ideas to players. A charismatic coach. He was not timid or clueless. He had a game plan and all his plans where very clear and precise for all to see!
Kay Hummer, my point is this. Why not watch and wait for the results rather than sitting there and continually bashing the team. You complain yet offer no solutions. Janza took over under some pretty difficult circumstances.
I am not in disagreement that the process of running football in Zambia is broken. Yet, this is the team we have going to the tournament. You keep calling them small boys, but these small boys are the reason Zambia qualified for AFCON. The big goys were failing.
It is unfortunate, but maybe this is the best we have to offer at the time. These young men will have to do the job. Janza right now needs support, not more critics. If he fails, then you have every right to come out here and say you told us from the beginning, but for now offer something positive. Like many people, my expectations for this tournament are really lowered, but I am still hopeful and I am still Zambian so I cannot help but support the team.
Positive Thinking, if you have been following my analysis and posting on this blog, you will realize that i am one of the very few who are very objective. I say things as they are. I am not like others who seem to live in a fantasy world. Let’s not pretend as if things are okay when they are not.This is not 2012. This team of small boys will not win the AFCON. Truth be told. I have been vindicated on so many occasions on this blog and will be vindicated again. We don’t expect this team to beat the likes of Cameroon and Tunisia. We will be eaten alive there. They will skin us alive.
I am not one of those who will build castles in the air or wait for a miracle to happen. This team is weak and will be disgraced at the AFCON!
Mr. K Hammer, your a treble critic who does not provide any positivity. So according to you this team has no chance at the AfCON 2015…. My friend I think your posts are too voluminous for their emptiness, all the players that you can think of have had to debut or receive more chances of gaining experience at one point or another in their career. As far as am concerned the term has a fair share of the experienced players and adding 3 or so debutants does not make it weak. By my count the team includes the inform players that this country can afford. So if one or two players have been left out, am sure its part of the coach’s strategy. And about the old players: chansa, Katongo, including Jacob…. that ship has sailed… learn to let go my brother we all want to be conservative but football is dynamic so let the old guys rest before the get heart attacks.
For once be patriotic and support the team…. don’t look forward to being an “i told you so guy”… its just not progressive.
Mr Zed#1, like i have already said, i am not one of those who will build castles in the air and hope for a miracle to happen. Miracles don’t usually happen in modern football. Football is about planning. It’s about thinking and applying the modern technics to it. I am not here to offer solutions. Even if i were to suggest something, probably FAZ will not even listen to it. I will say it to you that the current team has no chance at the AFCON. That is the truth even as much as it pains. It is a painful reality which you must accept and come to leave with it.
The so called old players you have mentioned were going to offer the much needed experience and pedigree which the current team of small boys is missing. These are players that have been tried and tested. They are not novices!!!
What objectivity when you are always criticizing the team selection. When you can’t accept that most of the players from the 2012 AFCON team are tired.
@Positive Thinking, You’re saying the truth and I really agree with your point. Thanks for being honest with your analysis.
Ndeloleshafye. I will make my assessment after at least the first two games.
I will be the first to congratulate Janza if he manages even a win at this year’s AFCON.
It will be a miracle if we progress to the second round of the competition. We don’t have deadly strikers in the team. I wonder where the goals will come from. Club football is very different from playing for the national team. People should know and understand that. Mayuka is suppose to be our main and most experienced striker is frustratingly off form. Kalusha Bawlya and PATHETIC Honour Janza should resign it we fail to go beyond the group stage!
You’ve clearly given up on the team so in the mean time, at least till this AFCON passes, find something else to preoccupy yourself with like Golf or jumping off a bridge rather than irritating some of us who only have 1 country to support. Do you neglect your kids just coz the neighbors’ did better in school? Team selection is done and dusted get that through your kaya uko…
Chimpombwa or whatever you call yourself. I will always be here when i can to offer objective analysis. Some of us for your own information are not bootlikers, we call a spade a spade and not a big spoon. Get that in your head!
Apply for a coaching job for chipolopolo when janza get fired not pakanwa fye.
Lol, bauze Ngozi.
Now I really want the team to do well at AFCON, other than I am a die hard supporter the other reason is this:
JUST SO SOME PEOPLE CAN SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!
I know if we do well the same people will jump up with another favoured pathetic word “FLUKE”….
You cannot fluke your way to an AFCON trophy, that is impossible, there are way too many games in the qualifiers and at the actual tournament for it to be a fluke.
Go chipolopolo go, lets produce the tournaments golden boot winner in Sate Sate and shut the naysayers up once and for all.
True, @Steve
Sate Sate is useless naimwe!! He is lucky that he is even on that team at the expense of the deadly Kola! Sate is technically poor, cant dribble, he has no pace, he is a midget, all in all he has little attributes for a AFCON striker. He is in the team becoz of the Kopala “Chimwela”!! Otherwise the boy is useless. Maybe if u said Kangwa Evans!!
It’s a pity that we have some bloggers who think you can win an AFCON tournament with a bunch of novices; small boys. First of all the best result we can achieve against Congo DR is a draw. We have to change the way we do things. Running and managing football is for technocrats and great minds and thinkers of football. Let’s employ an experienced coach and then the results will come our way. Time for experiments is over. It is even old school!
Kaya Hummer I strongly suspect you have never played football in your life whatever sex you are.
Kaya Hummer I strongly suspect you have never kicked a ball or played football in your life whatever sex you are.
Building a team at AFCON ? what a piece of shit. We will be white washed this time around.
Yes we are behind the team,go Zambia go. Guys are we going to see our team in that Zawa Jersey? Come on Kalusha its not too late,we need a new Jersey not that Zawa Jersey. I phoned one of the technical bench over the Jersey, but didn’t comment on that one.shi
The West Africans claim that our only Afcon win was a fluke. All critical soccer analysts, including the respected soccer pundit Mark Gleeson, admitted that Zambia deserved that victory because we defeated all the favourites: Senegal, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire at that tournament. However, it may be considered a fluke in the sense that football house probably never expected that glorious triumph. Our football administrators are characterised by mediocrity which is why they do not expect Zambia to be title contenders. We need to learn from South Africa who will be fielding a relatively inexperienced side yet they are going there to fight for the title. The coach Shakes Mashaba, the players and even the Safa administrators have said they’re not going there just to learn or participate, but to challenge for the title. This Zambian team has already been instilled with a losers mentality by lowering of expectations by Faz. We lost Afcon 2013 abysmally because even though we went there as champions, we had not been cured of an inferiority complex which has bedevilled us all these years. Zambia still has 8 players from the 2012 winning team and yet we are travelling to Equatorial Guinea with inferior expectations to a youthful and inexperienced South African team. We should be ashamed of ourselves. Mediocrity rules in Zambia.
Papa, totally agree. Zambian preparation for this tournament has left a lot to be desired. This team should have had more friendlies lined up and a proper training camp. Instead we have played only 1 friendly and maybe we will play one more. Just because you have a young team, does not mean you do not plan for success. Like I said once before, “had the coach been white then there would have been real preps.”
Bottom line is, we don’t respect our own enough to afford them the tools for success, but we are quick to cast them aside if they fail. I bet you, if Janza slips up he will be thrown out with the bath water immediately, but guys like HR were always given chance to learn from their mistakes. Good luck to us is all I can say, and I hope Janza can pull off the great escape.
people lets not underrate our football team, football is a game meant to entertain the world. what ever our boys are going to do in equatorial guinea whether positive or negative will be part of entertainment to the global.i love zamsoccer you love zamsoccer but we are always disappointed its not the size of our players neither the thinking of our coaches but the Zambia football management board way of running our football. count how many competent and recognizable friendlies did your team had as part of preparation for the tournament and compare to other teams that are on the same race, its pity any way.most of our boys have potential which is not fully exposed. but note that our support at this moment is very vital for their performance no team is good to the opponent before the march is played that is soccer.
The so called bunch of boys is not much of a problem to me. my worry is the capacity of the coach to respond to the changes of tactics during the game. The boys can adapt and account well to the game, but my worry will be the input from the coach. Janza has consistently scored 2/10 in most games We have played. I just hope the statistics are wrong.
As much as Sate Sate and Evans are my best best, I’d favour either of them (Evans ahead of Sate) being partnered with Mayuka (build to deal with the “small boys” syndrome). Sate Sate besides just needs the last 30mins to score and nothing more!
@Positive Thinking, the shambolic preps themselves show a lack of ambition. You can’t go into a major tournament with one friendly and attempt to justify it by saying you’re trying to avoid injuries. Injuries are inevitable and you need to play competitive friendlies to get the shape of the team right. As things stand, Janza will continue fine tuning the team when the tournament has already started. I also find it strange that some fans think it’s a good idea to go into a major tournament with one friendly.
You’re very right. Zambia has been a victim of poor preparation for as long as I can remember. 2012 was the first AFCON where Zambia won its opening match since 1992. It came down to preparation. Winning that opening game is a major factor, but if you are still tinkering and trying to find the right permutations then you are in trouble.
I think the young ngoma should not have been selected for this afcon. Rodgers kola should have taken his place. A creative winger like felix should also have been selected. Those are the only 2 adjustments I would make. Jacob is another one who should have been considered. However, he lamentably failed against mozambique.
John I agree with you on Roger not so sure about Felix
Zambia come on show some belief. Ghana has a very young squad too but we still believe in them.
Fellow Chipolopolo Supporters, I salute you, especially those who are proud of our team, those who have supported the team even when the chips were down.
I subscribe to the philosophy which says ‘ a true definition of a man is in his character’
Ba Kay Hammer, your type is never satisfied with what they have, whether Big Boys, sMALL bOYS, Novices,exPERIENCED or even mixed grill. KWATI UNTU ALI NEFUMO lol!!!
Remember prior to AFCON 2012 many pipo like you criticized, complained and cried about almost everything, from the teams style of play under Dario to the camping of the team in India. They fore-concluded that the team had no chance against the likes of Senegal, Ghana and Ivory coast …. Well the rest is history.
All in all I believe this team has character, resilience and belief because it is the same novices who got us the points to qualify for AFCON 2015. This team will prove doubting THOMASES like you wrong again in this year’s tournament.
You can complain all you like, as for hot bloodied, truly zambian supporters like us, its “ONE ZAMBIA, ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE, ONE CHIPOLOPOLO”.
BE PROUD Kay hammer, BE ZAMBITIOUS. Go Zambia Go.
Those who still think that winning afcon 2012 was a “fluke????”, then what do you say to the star-studed sides we gunned down along the way, did they also lose by fluke or simply had a bad tournament. Well I will say their analysis was from the dark ages just like that ivorian mamadou who may never have the chance to analyze football again if it were up to me. If you don’t believe in your own team, WHO WILL.
We did it in 2012 and will do it again in 2015. THE KOPA BULLETS WILL SHOOT THEM DOWN, be they leopards, elephants,lions even stars.
I have no doubt no doubt that we will do well. Glad he got rid of most rubbish from 2013 inept performance. Zambia will beat drc draw with Tunisia and smash abc grab vs Cape Verde. It’s time for chisamba to carry this team and mayuka to step up after a the faith being shown in him. Singuluma will be dark horse for Me for his ability to arrive unnoticed. Cape Verde and drc will respect their elders after this. I got faith due to the improvement I seen in lady three games incus lifting plus preparation reminds me if 2012 low profile keep they other teams guessing indeed while we send our spies to theirs. Experience at this level will stand zambia in good stead also. We been there down that and got the knowhow.
Kaya hammer u re saying faz can’t understand your advice, bt yet u re jst like them no matter how positive pepo can try to b u re always critising without any response to their advice wich makes u @ par with Faz. Offer something positive rather than being negative o the time.
MY TEAM WUD BE =
KANGWA KAMPAMBA
MUSONDA KALABA LUNGU
NATHAN
MBOLA SUNZU MTONGA NKAUSU
MWEENE
BENCH;mayuka,malama,kabwe,singuluma,munyau
Ki ki ki ki ke ke ha ha ati ilyaba Zawa football team.Abena Kalu do some thing about that ugly Jersey for sure. Nabo ba Chamanga that I will not resign,any way why should you if no any Zambian in any given field do not resign no matter how disgracefull they might or are.
How long does this moderation take? I posted my comments last night and they (my comments) are waiting moderation????? Is it because am new on this site or what??
Can some 1 tell me wat type of a team janza would have picked the so called strong team. As far as I know that is the strongest zambia team we have coz so called the big boys failed 2 score