I MIGHT have been one of the many who were a bit skeptical about the recall of burly striker Collins Mbesuma or ‘King David’ as he fondly refers to himself to the Chipolopolo.
Well, I must confess that my negative perception on the once lethal striker was washed away by his impressive return to the squad.
When ‘Chicken’ George Lwandamina named him as part of the foreign based players to face Kenya in the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Kenya, I thought the soft spoken interim Chipolopolo trainer took too much of a risk.
Alas, his gamble was worth the risk as the all-time South Africa PSL top scorer proved in Kenya.
Mbesuma was on song against the Harambee Stars, he was the one and brought back the ‘Ntofontofo’ memories.
I would definitely and without hesitation vote him as a man of the match against Kenya, he did the unexpected…not that he couldn’t have done it but at the rate he was being criticised before Lwandamina recalled him, no one expected such a brilliant performance from him.
I had an opportunity to watch footage of the 2-1 win and Mbesuma was terrific having been part of the two goals Zambia scored against Kenya, created one and delivered the winner.
Overall, Zambia’s performance against Kenya was not up to standard but with the help of experienced players like Mbesuma leading the frontline, the Chipolopolo managed to snatch the full important points.
His impressive performance left me wondering why he had been sidelined previously or maybe he needed to go into hibernation to rejuvenate his career.
Mbesuma’s return has undoubtedly brought a new dimension to the team and so far seems like Lwandamina is playing his cards right.
The blending of young and experienced players is definitely working wonders for the team and should also serve as a lesson to any Chipolopolo coach, Lwandamina inclusive, that national team cannot do without experience.
In as much as we all want to see fresh legs donning national team colours, let us also put into consideration the image Zambia has built over the years.
For Mbesuma, my advice to him is to remain focused and continue being the Psalmist of the Chipolopolo.
Hope the coaching bench can work on the striking force especially that Zambia failed to score as many goals fans would have wanted to see in both the AFCON qualifier against Kenya and the friendly with Gabon on Tuesday.
Wishing you all a wonderful sporting weekend and remember to interact on eliaschipepo@gmail.com or elias.chipepo@times.co.zm