The players job is to give me a selection headache – Avram Grant 

Chipolopolo Boys head coach Avram Grant was left very impressed with the new players during the October FIFA window. 

Zambia suffered a 1-0 loss to Egypt on Thursday last week before beating Uganda 3-0 on Tuesday. Grant believes the team performed well in both games. 

The Israeli gaffer says it’s the players job to give him a selection headache hence he is happy with the new players doing well during the October camp in the United Arab Emirates. 

“I think the team performed well today (Yesterday), the second half was better but we missed chances in the first half. It’s good because even in the last game we played well,” he said. 

“In this camp about five players played for the first time for me, maybe even for the nation and I am happy for all of them. Clatous, Kelvin when he came on played well, Phiri Zephaniah also gave a very good game, which is very good because we need a very big squad. The job of the players is to give me a headache.”

“In football you can’t be good the entire 90 minutes maybe just Manchester City, so the problem is how we behave when we not in a good moment but I think the team behaved well, maybe we gave away the ball easily in the first half but they came back well and I can hardly remember any chances for Uganda,” he added. 

Grant feels the camp has achieved the objective of making the team stronger and better for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month. 

When asked about having a best starting eleven, Grant said he is more focused on having a clear system which picks the players who are in the best shape for it. 

“This camp has achieved the objective which was to become better and better. We will do everything to win in our World Cup qualifiers and of course do well in the Africa Cup despite being in a tough group but we are also a team that’s hard to beat,” he said.  

“I never think about the first eleven, I think we have a clear system and that’s more important, the system will take the players that will be in good shape.” 

A goal from Fashion Sakala and a brace from Patson Daka helped Zambia to a 3-0 victory over Uganda in a friendly match on Tuesday. 

Zambia was using the match to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers against Congo and Niger. The Chipolopolo Boys are in Pool E with the  two nations, Morocco, Tanzania, Niger and Eritrea.

The match was also being used to fine-tune for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group F fixtures against DR Congo, Morocco and Tanzania.