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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
THE highly-anticipated clash of Zimbabwean players in the opening round of the English Premier Soccer League might not happen after all as Aston Villa and league returnees AFC Bournemouth get their campaign underway this weekend.
Jordan Zemura’s Bournemouth are set to host Villa at the Vitality Stadium this Saturday, in a match that could carry sentimental significance to many Zimbabweans that follow the popular English Premiership.
Zemura and Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba are the only Zimbabweans playing in the top tier of English football this season.
The duo of Warriors players had been tipped to add the Zimbabwean flavour to the opening weekend of the English Premiership.
The 22-year-old Zemura is set to become the sixth Zimbabwean to play in the English Premier League after Peter Ndlovu, Benjani Mwaruwari, Brendan Galloway, Nakamba and the legendary goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
Fellow Warriors defender Tendayi Darikwa came close after earning his English Premier League cap with Burnley in 2016 but was released by the club before he kicked a ball in the elite league.
The first and only time that Zimbabwean players featured in opposing teams in the English Premier League was when Ndlovu and Grobbelaar came up against each other in the goalless draw at the Dell on March 4, 1995.
Ndlovu, then 22 years-old, was at the peak of his footballing powers at Coventry City while Grobbelaar was winding up a long career at Southampton, having previously earned legendary status at Liverpool.
As the new season beckons, Zemura and Nakamba will be the two ambassadors for the Southern African nation, with Enock Mwepu (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Patson Daka (Leicester City) of Zambia, being the only other players from the region.
While young defender Zemura could be fancying his English Premiership debut as he was very much part of the Bournemouth pre-season campaign following his rapid rise to the first team in the last two years, developments in the last few weeks may suggest something to the contrary for Nakamba in Villa’s first game.
The midfielder, who is now in his fourth year of his contract at the Birmingham side, could be among the doubtful starters for Aston Villa on Saturday. The 28-year-old was largely overlooked in the final build-up of the pre-season campaign as the clubs fine-tuned for the Premiership long haul.
Nakamba played in the opening two pre-season friendlies before making the Aston Villa squad for their tour of Australia. However, the 28-year-old hasn’t had a single minute of football since, which has even raised uncertainty over his future at the club this coming season.
The midfielder was given 45 minutes in Villa’s 4-0 win over Walsall on July 9 and 45 minutes in their 1-0 win over Leeds United on July 17, but he was left out of Villa’s 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar on July 20 and the 2-2 draw with Manchester United on July 23.
Instead, head coach Steven Gerrard started John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara in midfield against Brisbane Roar before replacing the pair with Tim Iroegbunam and Douglas Luiz at the restart.
Against United, Gerrard started Jacob Ramsey with new captain John McGinn and Kamara before replacing the trio with Brazilian Douglas Luiz, Iroegbunam and Morgan Sanson. Nakamba also missed the clash with French Ligue 1 side, Stade Rennais, at the weekend.
A Villa news outlet reported: “That doesn’t bode well for Nakamba’s chances of featuring regularly this campaign, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be sold this summer.”
Nakamba, who is entering his fourth season with Aston Villa, was one of the players that Gerrard turned to in order to rescue a poor campaign under previous manager, Dean Smith.
The former Club Brugge midfielder was not available for the most part of last season due to a knee injury, which also forced him to miss this year’s CAF African Cup of Nations finals in January. As if to explain Nakamba’s fate, Gerrard has highlighted how “certain individuals” have made a lasting impression on him during their preparations for the new season.
Gerrard has spread minutes around his squad in pre-season as he gave players an opportunity to both impress and get themselves in the best shape for the upcoming campaign.
The head coach has had five friendly matches to run the rule over his squad and his verdict on Nakamba, who featured in the early games, is still his secret.
Speaking to Villa TV, he said: “As a manager, you always want tough decisions. If you’ve got tough decisions it means that all the players are pushing. It means you’ve got more than one good player in that position, which is always helpful. “Pre-season is about fitness, it’s about getting yourself match-sharp and match-ready, so we gave opportunities and game time at the front half of pre-season to everyone.
“People have benefited from that and given me some tough decisions to make. Now that we’re days out and we’re moving really close to the start, there are certain individuals that are standing forward and grabbing the shirt.”
Online Reporter