Former Zambia international Charles Musonda has challenged George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina’s explanation that Algeria’s larger population gives them an advantage in player selection, arguing that Zambia’s challenge is not necessarily a shortage of talent but how that talent is identified, selected and trusted.
Lwandamina cited Algeria’s significantly larger population after Zambia’s 3–1 defeat to the Fennecs in Tizi Ouzou on Friday, pointing to the depth of players available to the North Africans.
The Zambia coach said Algeria could potentially field several national teams because of the size of their population, while Zambia have a much smaller pool from which to select.
But Musonda, one of Zambia’s best ever midfielders and a former Anderlecht player, offered a different interpretation of the issue.
“When Chicken George says ‘population’ he means talent,” Musonda wrote in a post reflecting on the defeat.
The former international believes Zambia already possess enough quality to compete, pointing to the attacking options available to Lwandamina and the performances of players selected for the Algeria encounter.
“It was interesting to see Zambia’s formation against Algeria. For the first time in a long time, I saw a team with four players capable of scoring,” he said.
Musonda’s argument is that the size of a country’s population does not by itself determine the quality of its national team.
Instead, he believes Zambia must make better use of the talent already available by selecting players on the basis of their performances at club level.
“Today, I am seeing Zambian players performing. That is how a national team should be selected on merit. Club level performance matters,” he said.
‘The talent is there’
Musonda’s comments come after Lwandamina highlighted Algeria’s depth following a match in which Zambia showed glimpses of their attacking potential but ultimately suffered a second-half collapse.
Jaouen Hadjam put Algeria ahead inside two minutes before captain Fashion Sakala equalised in the 57th minute.
Ibrahim Maza restored Algeria’s lead in the 67th minute, however, before Anis Hadj Moussa added a third five minutes later.
For Musonda, the performance nevertheless demonstrated that Zambia have attacking resources capable of troubling strong opposition.
He identified Patson Daka, Lameck Banda and other options available to the national team while stressing that players must work collectively.
“We have options. Daka, ‘Cagliari boy’, Sobobo, Lameck Banda and the Tanzanian boy. The talent is there,” he said.
“But they should not be selfish in front of goal. It’s the team that scores, not an individual.”
‘We definitely missed the boy from Greece’
Musonda also pointed to the absence of midfielder Kings Kangwa, who missed the Algeria match through suspension.
“We definitely missed the boy from Greece in midfield,” he said, referring to the Panathinaikos midfielder.
Kangwa’s absence removed one of Zambia’s established midfield options, although Musonda’s wider point was that the national team has enough alternatives if players are selected on current form and given confidence.
He also called for Lwandamina and his technical staff to establish a clear first-choice goalkeeper and stick with him.
“Decide who your No. 1 goalkeeper is and trust him. Even the best make mistakes. Confidence matters. Mweene knows better. You can’t question him,” Musonda wrote, referring to goalkeeping coach Kennedy Mweene.
Sakala earns Musonda’s praise
Sakala’s equaliser was one of the positives to emerge from an otherwise disappointing evening for Zambia.
Musonda praised the captain for his response, while insisting that attacking players must also contribute defensively.
“Nobody is bigger than the team. If you want your place, earn it through performances. Sakala did exactly that — brilliant goal and always looked dangerous,” he said.
“But he should help to make the defensive block even. ‘K’ right side must do it.”
The observation reflects one of the problems Zambia encountered after equalising. Algeria regained control of the contest before scoring twice in quick succession, leaving Lwandamina’s side with little opportunity to recover.
‘Football isn’t played on paper’
With Zambia now preparing to face Togo in Ndola on Tuesday, Musonda warned against underestimating their opponents.
Togo opened their campaign with a 1–0 victory over Burundi, while Zambia suffered defeat in Algeria.
But Musonda argued that results alone should not determine how the teams are assessed.
“I watched Togo-Burundi. Algeria-Zambia was more competitive but don’t take any team lightly,” he said.
“Football isn’t played on paper — it’s played on the pitch. 90 plus minutes.”
For Musonda, therefore, the debate following the Algeria defeat should not simply be about Zambia’s population or the size of the available player pool.
His message is that Zambia must recognise the talent already at their disposal, select on performance, give players confidence and build a team around collective responsibility.
And ahead of Tuesday’s home qualifier, the former Anderlecht midfielder has called for the discussion to give way to action.
“Now let’s stop talking and support the team in Ndola,” Musonda said. “We are a footballing nation from way back when our population was even less but had talent.”
