Pundits tip off mabedi, flames

Some football legends and pundits have cautioned the  Flames interim coach Patrick Mabedi against completely shunning experienced players following the newly-built team’s impressive performance at the just-ended Cosafa Cup.

They say although the predominantly youthful squad stood up to be counted  in Durban, South Africa where it finished fourth, the team still needs some experienced players to strike a balance.

The new squad, which included eight uncapped players, performed beyond expectations at the regional showpiece where they were the only side not to lose in open play. Malawi were also the only team to win man-of-the-match awards in all matches and let in just one goal in five games, the least at the tournament.

Former Flames coach Kinnah Phiri said the team showed a lot of potential.

Said the all-time Flames top scorer: “The boys did well and performed beyond expectations.

“However, while the coach continues with his rebuilding drive, he should not overlook experienced players because the young ones have got their limitations and they can reach a stage whereby they can run out of ideas.

“Of course, we do not need most of the old guard, but we definitely need some of them. Having said that, I congratulate Mabedi and the boys for the good performance.”

Another Flames legend Yasin ‘Titch’ Osman said he was impressed with the team’s standard of play and Mabedi’s  overall team building project.

He said: “What is pleasing is that Mabedi has changed the attitude by some players that even when they are not performing, they are assured of a place in the team.

“He has changed that mindset and created an element of competition. The other thing is that the Cosafa Cup is a developmental tournament to expose up-and-coming players and for a change, we applied that concept.

“The team did very well as it only lost in [post-match] penalties, but they  still need more exposure, but then they shouldn’t be turned into a senior team at this stage because that would be a big mistake as they do not have sufficient exposure and need more games.”

Osman also said there are a number of players that are either old or not good enough to play in the national team “and these can be replaced by the rookies that did well at Cosafa”.

On his part, football pundit Kevin Moyo said: “Looking at how the team has performed, it shows that the country has a lot of talent, it just needs to be exposed further on the international stage.

“Going forward, a few of them such as Lanjesi Nkhoma and Lloyd Aaron, who are not senior team regulars, proved that they are ready for the big stage.  We should not be carried away and promote the entire squad. These boys are still learning.”

In a separate interview, Mabedi said he was impressed with his charges’ overall performance as “no one gave them a chance”.

“If it was a league, we would have been crowned champions because we didn’t lose a game in open play. For a newly-built team, this was commendable.”

The new look Flames side defied the odds to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 20 years and won all their group stage matches, including against champions Zambia, whom they beat 1-0. The Flames also beat Seychelles and Comoros by 2-0 margins. But Malawi failed to reach the final after losing 3-0 to Lesotho in post-match penalties following a one-all draw in regulation time. In the third place play-off, the Flames again lost on penalties 3-5  to hosts South Africa after playing out a goalless draw.