WILL MAPEZA TRUST HIS KNOWLEDGE?

Sport
A NEW man in the dugout of any football team usually leads to some changes and more often than not, among the keys changes is the choice of the captain to lead the team.

A NEW man in the dugout of any football team usually leads to some changes and more often than not, among the keys changes is the choice of the captain to lead the team.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Norman Mapeza
Norman Mapeza

A new skipper could be named ahead of the start of Zimbabwe’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign under former Warriors player Norman Mapeza.

Mapeza was recently given the task of guiding Zimbabwe back to Africa’s biggest football showcase following their third Afcon appearance in Gabon at the beginning of the year.

This time around the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Liberia stand between Zimbabwe and a place at the 2019 finals to be held in Cameroon.

As Mapeza prepares to name the new captain to lead the team, there are a number of potential candidates to take over the vacant title.

Belgium-based striker Knowledge Musona is the most capped player in the team and possesses leadership qualities that thrust him as a firm favourite.

Former captain Willard Katsande, who has made himself available for selection after announcing his retirement from international football after the Gabon finals in January, will also be in line to reclaim the armband, if at all he is called up.

Maybe the new coach will decide to build a long term team and find a much younger captain such as Marvelous Nakamba, who is fresh from a very successful season at Dutch topflight side Vitesse Arnhem.

Sports World looks at some of the possible candidates to be handed the Warriors captaincy by Mapeza.

Knowledge Musona (26 years old, 42 national caps)

For someone who is only 26 years of age, it’s remarkable that the Warriors talisman Musona has already earned 42 national team caps, effectively making him one of the front runners to become the next Warriors captain.

The KV Oostende forward has been Zimbabwe’s most prolific goal scorer everytime he dons the golden jersey, having netted 17 times and could be ripe to follow in the footsteps of legend Peter Ndlovu who led the team at the debut Afcon appearance in Tunisia.

Ndlovu always led his charges from the front whenever he played for the Warriors and the captaincy could have the same effect on Musona, who always produces his best for the national side when available.

Musona is also a big influence in the Warriors dressing room not only due to his contribution in the field but his leadership skills having previously captained the national Under-17 team.

Mapeza has a lot of faith in players plying their trade in Europe and that could also give Musona an edge over some of his rivals for the armband.

Marvelous Nakamba (23 years old, 6 national caps)

Nakamba may be among the least talkative players in the Warriors set up but he fits the picture of what Mapeza’s preferred candidate would look like.

He is young and imposing in the field of play, with a wealth of European experience where he is a regular in the Dutch league.

At only 23, Nakamba may be appealing for the captaincy for a coach who is building for the future as the lad can only get better with time.

His national team experience, however, stands at just six appearances since making a debut in 2015, having also missed the country’s first group match against Algeria in Gabon due to suspension.

Willard Katsande (31 years old, 21 national caps)

As long as Katsande is considered for this Afcon campaign by Mapeza, he immediately becomes the strongest candidate for the job. Not only because he has been the Warriors captain for the past couple of years, but also because he is the vice-captain of big football South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.

His leadership skills are proven on and off the pitch.

However, it is still a debate whether Mapeza, known to prefer working with youngsters, will make the 31-year-old hard man his warrior. If Mapeza gives Katsande a call, then it will be difficult to overlook him for the captaincy. Interestingly, the former Highway player has far much less caps, just 21 since 2009, compared to Musona.

Costa Nhamoinesu (31 years old, 11 national caps)

The Sparta Prague fullback has experience in the Europa league and can easily make a good leader for the national team.

But Nhamoinesu’s challenge is the same that Katsande faces – whether he is in Mapeza’s plan or not because of his age.

Nhamoinesu is out of the next fixture against Liberia due to injury and his absence all but puts him at the bottom of all the positive candidates.

Coach Mapeza could make wholesale changes to the Warriors defence which struggled in Gabon, conceding eight goals in three group matches.

Nhamoinesu has 11 caps for Zimbabwe dating back to 2008.

Danny Phiri (28 years old, 17 national caps)

In the absence of Katsande, Phiri looks like the likely choice to play in defensive midfield for the Warriors. He is one of the best grafters in the Zimbabwe team and has since matured as a player.

Although he does not seem to be the favourite, Phiri has enough experience to be able to handle the gruels that come with being the captain of the county. After all, Phiri captained Chicken Inn to the Castle Lager premier soccer league title as he emerged the best player. Phiri has donned the Zimbabwe colours on 17 occasions, which puts him among the senior player of the team.

One cannot help but have the feeling that Mapeza’s tenure is going to be full of surprises.

China-based striker Nyasha Mushekwi presents another strong candidate for captain of the team as well as players such as Khama Billiat or Cuthbert Malajila.