Zambia U17 Women’s National Team head coach Carol Kanyemba says the Copper Princesses preparations for the World Cup are going well.
Kanyemba says the team is now working on their tactical approach, Solidifying the team and proper coordination.
Kanyemba is happy with the fitness levels of the players which she has credited to the resumption of the Women’s Super League.
“Preparations are going on well. Unlike the first camp where we had a lot of injuries, we just had a few injury concerns. Most of the players are fit and showing positivity in training,” she said.
“We are looking at solidifying the team and proper coordination in the tactical aspect of the game so we are concentrating on a small number, Those we have been with and just a few inclusions.”
“The resumption of the league has really helped. We don’t have to worry about the fitness of players, we just work on the tactical aspect of the game and the coordination,” she added.
Kanyemba revealed that the team’s Video Analyst, Lineker Mwikisa is working tirelessly on analysing their opponents and using the information in their training sessions.
The Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club gaffer says the team is eying going past the group stage and will draw inspiration from the Copper Queens who have been qualifying for every tournament.
“Our analyst is doing his job in terms of understanding our opponents and we incorporate it in our training sessions to know what areas we need to solidify and perfect to be able to perform better on that side,” she said.
“New players, new technical bench but the objective remains the same. We want to continue improving as Women’s football. The more games you play at the tournament ( A big platform) the better chances for the players to showcase their talent and expose them to get chances to go and develop their talents in bigger and better leagues. Our aim is to get past the group stage.”
“We tell them that the trend has been set by the Senior team; they have qualified for most of the big tournaments. Them (U17) qualifying after ten years means they have potential to do more than what the previous group (2014) did. As much as our opponents have an upper hand in terms of infrastructure, and exposure but attitude and desire to get something out of it can take us far, so they really need to want more and they will be able to achieve,” she added.
The 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup will be held in the Dominican Republic from 16 October – 4 November, 2024.
The Copper Princesses will open their campaign against Brazil on 18 October 2024 at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo before their penultimate group phase match against Poland three days later at the same stadium.
They will wrap up their group match against Japan on 23 October, 2024.
