Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
IT could have been one of the most beautiful scripts ever penned by a Zimbabwean player on their English Premier League debut.
It didn’t turn out to be worst though.
But it was still painful for Warriors vice-captain Marshal Munetsi and Zimbabweans at large.
Realistically, the 2-1 defeat Wolves suffered at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield is totally understandable.
The Reds are rolling.
They were expected to fly past the Old Gold, who are desperate to find the momentum to survive relegation.
Liverpool got down to business early in the match, Luis Diaz guiding the ball past Jose Sa to assume control of the ship.
Then, still in the opening half, Mohamed Salah dinked a penalty to double the advantage and set Arne Slot’s side on their way to stretch their lead at the top to seven points.
Munetsi was watching from the bench, waiting for his chance.
Zimbabweans were watching from all over the world, waiting for their 28-year-old Warriors international to make his big debut in the best league in the world.
Munetsi tasted some slight atmosphere in English football when coming on as a substitute in Wolves’ 2-0 win over Blackburn in the fifth round of the FA Cup last week.
Comparatively, that was a low-key match against a lower league opponent.
It mattered but really didn’t matter.
After all, Munetsi was thrust in with Wolves already 2-0 to the good and needing only to manage the game and wind up the clock.
The big day was always the EPL debut yesterday.
Wolves were down but never looked out.
They wouldn’t surrender too easily despite playing at one of the toughest grounds in world football and with a famed atmosphere.
Manager Vitor Perreira needed some solutions, especially upfront.
And he drew a shocker.
Munetsi was expected to come on at one point or the other.
But not as a striker.
Perreira, who last week described the Zimbabwean as a “transition midfielder,” identified him as the solution.
He pulled out Manuel Goncalo Guedes and patched in Munetsi as a centre forward at the resumption.
It’s an unconventional position for the lanky star, but it worked in a way.
Just four minutes after his introduction, Munetsi should have registered his name on the scoring card to emulate compatriots who include the iconic Peter Ndlovu, whose heroic hat-trick at Anfield in 1995 when he was still playing for Coventry City is still being talked about.
In that higher-up position, Munetsi timed his run to perfection, receiving a flick-on by fellow substitute Jeanricner Bellgarde, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
He should have gone for a dink or a chip maybe but decided to power it with his left.
The travelling Wolves fans and Zimbabweans at home and public places were almost celebrating, but Becker made himself bigger and managed to deny the Warriors star his place among a few giants to score on their debut at Anfield.
It was a big chance, but Munetsi’s ability to drift in with so much precision on a day he was playing as a centre-forward for the first time in his professional career is the stuff that legends are made of.
The Zimbabwe vice-captain also attempted a volley but miscued it moments after Matheus Cunha had halved the deficit for Wolves.
He pressed high, and Liverpool defenders, who often start play from the back, found it hard to make forward forays as Munetsi’s threat loomed large in their view mirrors.
The versatile former Orlando Pirates man, who joined Wolves on a £20 million fee from French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims a fortnight ago, came closer to even terms and steal a point for his side, but a low cross from the right was intercepted when he was just about to slide it in.
It was a decent start for him, and he will be hoping to affirm himself better as Wolves’ fight for survival continues.
He was brought in to stabilise things and help the team with his industry and even goals needed the most if Perreira is to keep on playing him as a striker.
He has already hinted about it.
Said Perreira, “Munetsi is a transition midfielder, box to box. He has the power to go in our box, to defend, and after a second, to be in the other box.
“This is something that we need in this team to appear with more players in the box, and we are improving a lot, the way that we attack the box, the way that we defend. We need to have more moments to control the pace of the game.”
EPL Results:
Liverpool 2-1 Wolves
Tottenham Hotspur—Manchester United
