CATALA’S GAMBLE: Why Warriors will miss Tshuma and Msebe
When new Warriors coach Ramon Catala announced his final squad for the upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone and DRC, it looked solid on paper.
Zimbabwe face Sierra Leone on 24 September at El Jadida in Morocco before hosting DRC on 28 September at the National Sports stadium in Harare.
Catala named five midfielders with experience from England, Greece and Finland, but a closer look reveals a glaring problem: there is not a single creative midfielder in the Warriors squad.
WARRIORS MIDFIELD: FIVE DESTROYERS, ZERO CREATORS
Wolverhampton Wanderers star Marshall Munetsi is naturally a defensive midfielder, though versatile enough to push forward. Reading’s Andy Rinomhota is a holding midfielder, Scottland FC’s Abubakar Moffat enjoys sitting deep, which is the same as captain Marvellous Nakamba who plies his trade at Panetolikos in Greece, and Prosper Padera is also a holding midfielder.
The Warriors celebrating in Obed Itani Chilume Stadium. Picture by ZIFA/Facebook
Simply put, Catala named a midfield combo with five destroyers but zero creators. Who will find the pockets? So who will give that final assist to the Warriors strikers and wingers? Perhaps Tawanda Chirewa will be the one tasked with the creative job for the Warriors.
The Wolves attacking midfielder is the only player in Catala’s squad with the profile to play as a natural number 10. He can run at defenders, and play that defence-splitting pass that Munetsi, Rinomhota, Nakamba, Moffat and Padera hardly do.
But is it fair to put all the creative burden on a 21-year-old who is still fighting for game time at Wolves? So far he has played only three out of the seven matches in the English Championship, and on all occasions he came on as a substitute.
WHY TSHUMA AND MSEBE SHOULD HAVE MADE WARRIORS SQUAD
That is why the omission of Mongameli Tshuma and Mthokozisi Msebe is not just surprising, it is tragic. Tshuma and Msebe are arguably the finest, slickest attacking midfielders in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League right now.
Both are not sideways passers. They have carved a niche as creative attacking midfielders who penetrate, run at opponents, break lines, find spaces between the lines and deliver what this Warriors team desperately lacks, creativity.
For Highlanders FC, Tshuma has been unplayable. He proved it in the Four Nations Mukuru Cup in Botswana where he scored, and again in the Unity Cup where he was one of the few bright sparks for Zimbabwe. So good that Hardrock FC had to break the bank to tie him down for next season.
As the National Sports Stadium opens its doors to the Warriors again after a long hiatus, this was the perfect stage for Tshuma and Msebe, who have Scottland’s midas touch. Msebe has been the creative hub at Scottland FC, so much that his absence has them huffing and puffing.
The fans returning home deserved to see their most in-form playmaker. Instead, Catala has picked a Warriors midfield that will fight, tackle, and protect, but who will create?
CAN ZIMBABWE BREAK DOWN DRC’S DEFENCE?
While Sierra Leone looks easy on paper, DRC is not a team you break down easily. The Leopards’ improvement under Sebastien Desabre has been built on defensive solidity, with 29 clean sheets in 56 games.
The DRC backline is anchored by Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, formerly at Manchester United and Arthur Masuaku. Going forward, they will be spurred by the counter with the pace of Fiston Mayele and Yoane Wissa.
To break that wall, the Warriors need a natural number 10 who can penetrate into pockets and provide the killer pass. Without Tshuma and Msebe, where will that creativity come from?
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