By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia national team head coach Oswald Mutapa says the Chipolopolo have settled well in Francistown as preparations intensify ahead of their Mukuru Four Nations semi-final showdown with Malawi.
The Zambian delegation arrived early in Francistown to allow the largely youthful squad enough time to acclimatise and train, with Mutapa emphasizing that mentality will be just as important as tactics.
“I think we have settled. We have had three sessions so far. Us coming early makes us settle and prepare well, and with three sessions — minus one this afternoon — it’s important that we settle quickly,” Mutapa said.
“It’s an important tournament for us. We’ve come with a youthful side but our ambition is always to try and win the game.”
Zambia will face a more seasoned Malawian side, but the coach believes his young players have the hunger and mentality required to compete.
“Malawi is a much more experienced side, but we have young lads who have the hunger to participate and compete. It’s important that they have the mentality of winning and the habit of trying to win each and every game,” he said.
“This is more of a derby with our neighbours. It will be tough, but we need to give it our all and try to win the game.”
Mutapa explained that the focus in camp has been largely tactical rather than physical, given that the MTN Super League season is approaching its final stretch.
“For me, it’s about having a very organised side. We have trained for five days and in those five days we’ve had about nine sessions,” he explained.
“Our league is almost concluding with about nine games left, so we are not concentrating much on fitness levels. It’s more about team organisation because the players are coming from different clubs. We needed to work on corporate fitness in the first two days and then focus on structure.”
The coach added that his young squad will be expected to play with high intensity and compact organisation throughout the tournament.
“We want a very organised side with a lot of energy, playing compact football with full intensity. Because they are young boys, they need to play at full intensity and give everything.”
Mutapa also revealed that squad selection was influenced not only by current form but by the long-term vision for the national team.
“Picking players who are performing well hasn’t been difficult because Zambia has a lot of talent. But sometimes you find four players in one position and you can’t take them all,” he explained.
“Our concentration has been more tactical, especially with the league concluding.”
He further stressed that the national team is already looking toward the future.
“We have a lot of talent in Zambia and we also looked at players who will be available in 2030 because it’s a mission. We are looking at 2030,” Mutapa said.
“We won’t pick players who are in the eleventh hour. We mainly selected boys who are Under-20 and below, and those performing well in the league, to see if they can raise their hands and show they are ready for the senior Chipolopolo team.”
Zambia opens its campaign on March 28 against Malawi at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium. Hosts Botswana national football team will face Namibia national football team in the other semi-final.
The winners will meet in the final on March 31, while the losing sides will battle for third place.
