adminPagels and his assistant Lloyd Mutasa have been watching a host of games since the 2013 domestic Premiership programme burst into life on March 28 with the clash between CAPS United and Harare City.
The Warriors, who have only played two games under Pagels, will travel to Lusaka on Thursday to face Chipolopolo in a match that the Zambians will be using as part of commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of the air disaster that wiped out the finest generation of footballers to emerge from that country. The disaster occurred on April 27 in 1993 when a Zambian military plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gabon and killed the entire team, officials and journalists who were heading for Senegal for a 1994 World Cup qualifier.
Yesterday Pagels, through Warriors team manager Sharrif Mussa, announced an 18-man side that will assemble in the capital tomorrow night before embarking on the road trip to Lusaka.
The German coach was, however, restricted in his selection to a maximum of two players per club in order not to disrupt the on-going Premiership programme for which some of the games are being beamed live on SuperSport.
Mussa said they had also been forced to just name the travelling party because of the limited time they will assemble before embarking on their journey.
“We understand that there will be some mid-week PSL fixtures so we are expecting all those players who have been called up to turn up at Zifa House on Wednesday evening with their passports and travelling kit ready. “There will be training sessions on Thursday then we travel on Friday and we will have another day of training on Saturday in Lusaka then play the game on Sunday and return on Monday,’’ Mussa said.
With the game out of the Fifa calendar and thus ruling out the possibility of calling up the foreign-based professionals, Mussa said Pagels would use the encounter to continue with his assessment of the players who are likely to form the core of the Warriors side that will travel to Zambia in July for the Cosafa Castle Cup tournament. Zimbabwe will in September also begin their campaign for a third consecutive appearance at the African Nations Championships to be staged in South Africa next year.
The CHAN tournament is a competition reserved for only those players playing in their domestic national leagues and the Warriors have been to the first two editions in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 and the 2011 tourney in Sudan. We got a maximum of two players per club so that we do not disrupt local fixtures while at the same time also fulfilling an important national assignment.
“This is the first chance that the coach will have to look at a squad of locals only and assess his players for such upcoming assignments like Cosafa and CHAN,’’ Mussa said.
There were no major surprises in the side, however, with Pagels seemingly using current club form as one of his considerations in picking his team.
The Zifa technical adviser recognised the scoring capacity of reigning Premiership Golden Boot Award winner Nelson Maziwisa by including him in the team.
Maziwisa has already struck five times in as many games on his return to FC Platinum this season.
Veteran CAPS United striker Tawanda Nyamandwe, who has previously seen duty with Kiglon, Motor Action and Monomotapa, has also been included in an attack that features debutants Last Chibwiro of Black Mambas and Buffaloes forward Prosper Matizanadzo.
There were places too for more new caps — Eric Chipeta, a defender with Hwange, FC Platinum’s Kelvin Moyo and Dynamos defensive midfielder Devon Chafa.
Harare City midfielder, Silas Songani who charmed Pagels with decent performances in the international friendly against Botswana at Rufaro and the World Cup qualifier against Egypt in Alexandria, Monomotapa talisman Ronald Chitiyo and CAPS United’s Hardlife Zvirekwi have been retained in the Warriors.
With Washington Arubi unavailable just like the rest of the foreign legion, the Pretoria University’s goalkeeper’s understudy Maxwell Nyamupangedengu looks set to be thrust in as the first choice for the Zambia trip with Chicken Inn’s Liberty Chirava coming in to deputise the Harare City man.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Maxwell Nyamunpangedengu (Harare City) Liberty Chirava (Chicken Inn)
Defenders: Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS United) Augustine Mbara (Dynamos), Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Eric Chipeta (Hwange); Godfrey Moyo (Motor Action), Kelvin Moyo (FC Platinum)
Midfielders: Nicholas Guyo (Monomotapa), Silas Songani (Harare City), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Masimba Mambare (Highlanders) Devon Chafa (Dynamos) Nicholas Alifandika (Black Mambas)
Strikers: Nelson Maziwisa(FC Platinum), Tawanda Nyamandwe (CAPS United), Prosper Matizanadzo (Buffaloes) Last Chibwiro Black Mambas).
Online Reporter