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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
ENGLISH Premiership side Aston Villa sent a request to ZIFA to excuse Marvelous Nakamba from 2022 World Cup preliminary round matches against Somalia next month to enable the midfielder to continue with a specialised conditioning programme the club has laid out for him.
The 25-year-old midfielder made his debut for Villa in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night and impressed as he helped his new team crush Ligue Two side Crewe Alexandra 6-1 in a second round match.
Nakamba was not included in the Warriors’ squad for the two matches against Somalia which was released by ZIFA on Tuesday.
He was one of a number of regulars, including skipper Knowledge Musona, who were not named in the squad which will be under the guidance of interim coach Joey Antipas.
Speculation has been rife that the coach could have been arm-twisted by ZIFA officials not to include a number of players, including the three skippers at the last AFCON finals in Egypt – Musona, Ovidy Karuru and Danny Phiri – after they were accused of leading the mutiny that hit the team’s camp.
Regular first-choice goalkeeper George Chigova and Edmore ‘‘ZiKeeper’’ Sibanda, who was in goals when Zimbabwe opened the 2019 Nations Cup finals against Egypt in Cairo in June, were also not included in the squad.
However, the other Warriors’ star player, Khama Billiat, was named in the 18-man squad but The Herald can reveal today he set to be unavailable for the first leg in Djibouti because of concerns over an injury he has been nursing since pre-season which saw him miss Kaizer Chiefs’ first two league matches against Highlands Park and Black Leopards.
Billiat returned to play in the 1-1 draw against SuperSport United at the weekend and the full game in the 2-1 win over Cape Town City on Tuesday night but concerns, at the Amakhosi, remain about what a long haul flight to Djibouti could have in disrupting his recovery programme.
With the Warriors’ new technical team resigned on losing Billiat, for the match in Djibouti, they have been trying to replace him with Golden Arrows forward Knox Mutizwa who was in action against Orlando Pirates last night.
Another Warriors’ forward Tino Kadewere, who has scored eight goals in five league matches for French Ligue 2 side Le Havre, is also unlikely to play in Djibouti because of a groin strain which forced him to miss training all week at his team.
Le Havre face Caen in their next league match tomorrow and the French side’s medical team have been trying to get Kadewere to play in that game, without training all week, but do not believe he can feature for the Warriors against Somalia next Thursday.
‘‘It’s a challenge because Khama is out of the first match in Djibouti and Tino has said it’s touch and go and he might not be able to fly for the matches against Somalia because of the groin strain,’’ sources said.
Nakamba, too, is out of those matches because of concerns from his club Villa.
‘‘We would like to request that Marvelous Nakamba is not released on the 2nd – 10th September for international duty,’’ Ricky Shamji, the Villa Head of Medical Services, wrote in a letter to ZIFA.
‘‘He has been working on a conditioning programme since joining Aston Villa. Marvelous and the management team would like him to continue progressing with this in Birmingham over the international period.
‘‘I understand that Marvelous has already made contact with the Zimbabwe Association regarding this and I am very grateful if you can confirm that you are happy with this as soon as possible.’’
Nakamba was yesterday trending after his solid debut show for Villa:
Gregg Evans, The Athletic
And, what a start for Marvelous Nakamba. Okay, this was against League Two opposition but he was so cool, calm and composed as the deep-lying middle man that he will now feel he deserves a place in the squad for the next outing – if not a statue outside Villa park just yet.
In the first half, he manoeuvred his way out of tight situations with skill and finesse. In the second, he collected the ball nutmegged an opponent and started off an attack.
He shields the ball so well, too, and appears to be worth every penny of the £12 million Villa paid to sign him from Club Brugge this summer.
James Rushton, SBNation
Marvelous Nakamba was brought to Villa to rotate as a midfield battler. A true box-to-box man who shuttles forward to deliver the killer ball while delivering the tackles and the pressing to afford bite to a midfield.
However, in Marvelous’ first outing – the Carabao Cup second round matchup against Crewe – something spectacular happened. Villa scored six. Crewe scored one. We’re not here to talk about goals tonight though. We’re here to talk about style. The little flicks and flourishes that really capture this beautiful game of ours, and one amazing bit of trickery.
In one moment, Marvelous Nakamba showed his flair:
With his back to a Crewe player, Nakamba deftly spun the ball into an avenue through the aggressor’s legs. It wasn’t as simple as a dribbling nutmeg or another ordinary delight though, Marvelous added layers and layers to this spectacular move. Firstly, he used his rear leg, while moving backwards, and using only a single touch. All of this builds the facade before tearing it away to leave the player in the dust.
This flourishes of brilliance are often noted as pointless, but the depth that Nakamba added to his trickery opened up a pathway for him to comfortably advance with the ball away from pressure. Without this move, he’s stuck. With this move, he’s unlocked the press. Even if the manoeuvre was ‘‘pointless’’ – you’d still rather see things like this emerge in the game.
The childlike wonder of the ‘‘what if’’ rather than regimented structure of the entire match itself. Nakamba dared to do, and pulled off a wonder move in his first game. The player’s very name familiarises us with the unexpected – and the beautiful. However, there exists an element amongst us which may voice concern – that we shouldn’t get carried away with things like Nakamba’s nutmeg, but why not? If not now, when?
Shane Ireland, Birmingham Mail
Marvelous Nakamba made his long-awaited Aston Villa debut as Dean Smith’s side smashed Crewe Alexandra.
The midfielder picked up an injury in the Africa Cup on Nations which had prevented him from pulling on the claret and blue, up until now.
Nakamba partnered Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury in the middle as Smith shuffled his pack for the Carabao Cup second round tie.
He anchored the midfield well on a comfortable evening which was dominated by the visitors who were on the front foot throughout.
Online Reporter