Flames head coach Kallisto Pasuwa has once again made sweeping changes to his squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Ethiopia, dropping several regulars while recalling experienced campaigners who have been missing for years.
A comparison between the latest squad to face Ethiopia twice on June 6 and 9 and the team that competed at the Four Nations Tournament in Botswana in March shows that the Zimbabwean tactician has retained just 50 percent of the core group.
Major changes are in defence and attack where 10 players have been left out.
Pasuwa, in an interview, said he wants to assess more players ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers which kick off in October as Malawi faces Egypt, Angola and South Sudan in Group B.
He said: “We are playing last two games before we start Afcon qualifiers. We thought these players that we have called up can be the last lot to assess.
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“And if you can see, the names which we have called up, it’s to extent, mostly the guys who were not having game time. Yes, we might be having also some we have been calling because you can’t just change the whole team.”
The biggest casualties in the shake-up are five foreign-based attackers Patrick Mwaungulu, Chikumbutso Salima, Chawanagwa Kaonga, Mayele Malango and Richard Mbulu.
At the back, only Emmanuel Nyirenda and Macdonald Lameck have survived while Gomegzani Chirwa, Nickson Nyasulu and Maxwell Paipi have been left out.
They have been replaced by Iraq-based Al Qasim FC centre-back Dennis Chembezi and Japan-based Nankatsu SC defender Washali Jaziya.
In attack, Babatunde Adepoju of Venda Academy in South Africa and FCB Nyasa Bullets’ Ephraim Kondowe have retained their places while Zanaco’s Chawanangwa Kawonga and Richard Mbulu miss out.
Pasuwa said the omissions were for different reasons.
He said: “There are some [like Alick Lungu and Richard [Mbulu] who are injured, and then there are some who are tied up with club commitments.
“For some, we already know them so we decided to give others a chance to be assessed.”
Meanwhile, Pasuwa has turned to Zambia-based Kansanshi Dynamos midfielder Francisco Madinga, who is returning after three years, the Zambia duo of Green Buffaloes forward Christopher Kumwembe and Zanaco’s Chifundo Mphasi, who are also returning to the squad after long spells.
Diaspora newcomer United States-based Kalonji Soccer Academy forward Luciano Rundles has earned a maiden call-up while Mighty Wanderers midfielder Blessings Singini is also back in the squad.
But Pasuwa has maintained Robert Saizi, Yankho Singo, Lloyd Njaliwa, Festus Duwe, Lloyd Aaron and Germany-based Mwisho Mhango from the Four Nations squad as well as goalkeepers William Thole, George Chikooka and Joshua Waka.
The tactician said the two matches will help assess the players.
Said Pasuwa: “We want to assess these other new guys whom we have been calling and players like Rundles who we have called for the first time.
“Then we called also recalled Madinga, Kumwembe, Washali and Mphasi because we thought we should give them another chance.”
But football analyst George Chiusiwa expressed concern over Pasuwa’s lack of consistency.
He said: “Closely and critically looking at the player call-up, one is to see a strange scenario in coach Pasuwa’s inconsistency in his player selection. The Flames gaffer is changing his playing squad time and again.
“This inconsistency is a huge concern as we seem to be continuing with building a new team while trying different sets of players over time.”
Chiusiwa said Pasuwa lacks proper player monitoring.
“This defeats the essence of merit as we have frequent changes of the face of the Flames squad yet that is not based on objective player assessment and monitoring.
“It is doubtful if the coach is watching enough of local football to make informed decisions on certain players.”
Another analyst, Twaha Chimuka, said time is running out for Pasuwa, hence his erratic decisions.
He said: “I think most of the players dropped are due to poor performance and lack of discipline rather than what he has explained.
“You can see that he has now made a decision to drop those players and go for other players that he has been ignoring for a long time.
Chimuka said players such as Madinga have been absent from the Flames for three years despite being outstanding at his club.
“It’s only now that Pasuwa has swallowed his pride and called him to the squad after noting that the players he was trusting have not been performing to expectation,” he said.
