adminEgypt in Alexandra on March 26.
But the composition of the largely youthful side expected to revive the Warriors’ 2014 World Cup campaign immediately raised some eyebrows as the team looks rather lightweight for the demanding task before them.
Pagels, thrust into the hot seat following the sacking of Rahman Gumbo, has been mandated with trying to salvage a World Cup dream that was left in tatters after the Warriors managed just a point from their opening two assignments against Guinea at home and Mozambique away.
He will also guide the Warriors during the revived Cosafa Castle Cup in Zambia in July as well as the African Nations Championships qualifiers.
But the focus at the moment is to revive the fading World Cup hopes as the Warriors seek their first win in the qualifiers.
The Warriors, then under the guidance of Gumbo, lost 0-1 to Guinea at the National Sports Stadium before drawing 0-0 with Mozambique in Maputo.
Pagels took charge of his first Warriors’ assignment in an international friendly against Botswana at Rufaro on February 6 where a goal each by Khama Billiat and Denver Mukamba handed his new-look team a come from behind 2-1 victory.
The German coach, who is also Zifa’s technical adviser, has sought to rebuild the Warriors by focusing on previously uncapped players.
Against the Zebras, Pagels handed nearly half a dozen players their first senior national team caps.
Pagels appears to have been charmed by that team’s showing against the Zebras and yesterday he retained faith in the majority of the players who featured against Botswana with Denmark-based winger Quincy Antipas and Bloemfontein Celtic newboy Rodreck Mutuma, the only additions.
Antipas did not play in that friendly owing to an injury while Mutuma had just completed his switch from Dynamos to Celtic.
But the former Motor Action man is one of only three Europe-based players in the side that was released by team manager Shariff Mussa yesterday.
The others are chief striker Knowledge Musona, who plays for Augsburg in the German Bundesliga, and Swedish based midfielder Archford Gutu.
There was no place, though, for Moroka Swallows right back Gilbert Mapemba who played the first half of the game against Botswana as a central defender before being replaced with Kaizer Chiefs’ Lincoln Zvasiya in the second period.
The German coach, however, seems to have underestimated the magnitude of the tougher proposition that will come from former African champions Egypt by opting to keep faith in his rookies and overlooking some of the Warriors experienced players.
Pagels ignored a host of experienced players including Belgian-based Vusa Nyoni, Edward Sadomba who is still on the radar of Egyptian giants Al Ahly despite signing for a team in the United Arab Emirates, gangly AmaZulu centreback Carlington Nyadombo, Noel Kaseke who plays in Cyprus and Cuthbert Malajila who has been enjoying good form at Maritzburg United and is the current second best scorer behind Bernard Parker in the Absa Premiership.
Ironically Mutuma, who is still to receive game time at Celtic because of issues related to his work permit, won the nod ahead of Malajila, Sadomba and even Orlando Pirates’ Takesure Chinyama.
Just like Gumbo before him, Pagels also saw no value in Chesterfield midfielder Bradley Pritchard and instead believes that the likes of Harare City’s Silas Songani have the capacity to turn on the magic against the Pharaohs in Alexandra.
But with the coach focused on the future and picking a largely developmental side, it would appear the Warriors have also given up hopes of overhauling the five-point deficit they have against the Pharaohs in the race to top the group standings.
Only the group winners will advance to the final qualifying phase which will determine the five African teams at the World Cup finals in Brazil next year.
But after seeing off Botswana, Pagels reckoned that:
“…this is the beginning and we are building a new team and that means we have to come in with new players. The idea is to train these young players for the future’’.
Mussa said the Warriors technical department had decided against the tradition of having players assembling in Harare first before embarking on their away assignment.
The Warriors team manager said the senior team would take their camp to Egypt in order to avoid losing training time due to players’ travel from their respective bases to Harare.
Mussa also said the fact that they had decided to camp in Egypt had meant that Pagels would had to name his final 18 before their expected to departure for Egypt on March 21.
“We have got the squad of 18 that we are calling up so that we can have our training camp in Egypt. This is in view of the logistics and the time factor.
“The coach wants to maximise on the five days of training and including the match day and we have rolled out a programme whereby we leave Harare with the few local players, pick up the South Africa-based players in Johannesburg and then proceed to Cairo.
“The three players from Europe will fly directly to Egypt but we want to leave on March 21 and arrive in Cairo the following day then immediately connect to Alexandra but the logistics of our travel is now being worked out by the Zifa secretariat who will then advise us,’’ Mussa said.
The Warriors proposed itinerary is expected to feature prominently in discussions when the newly established Zimbabwe Football Trust which is chaired by Marange Resources board chairman Tshinga Dube convenes in the capital this evening.
The Trust is also expected to begin their task of mobilising resources that will enable the Warriors to fulfill the fixture in Egypt.
Warriors team:
Washington Arubi, Maxwell Nyamupangedengu, Hardlife Zvirekwi, Partson Jaure, Denver Mukamba, Ocean Mushure, Archieford Gutu, Quincy Antipas, Silas Songani, Abbas Amidu, Ronald Chitiyo, Knowledge Musona, Simba Sithole, Khama Billiat, Roderick Mutuma, Lincoln Zvasiya, Matthew Rusike, Augustine Mbara.
Online Reporter