Soccer analyst Bwezani Mbewe has challenged the Zambia Under 17 World Cup bound women’s team, to be at their complete best in order to increase their chances of qualifying to the knockout stages.
Mbewe said having known their opponents, the team should not focus on the big names in the group but should hit the ground running and prepare adequately for the challenge.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS sports in Lusaka, Mbewe said despite the names drawn in group D the team has equal chances with everyone.
He said although Japan and Brazil are powerhouses in women’s football with a past record of winning the under U-17 World Cup, Zambia has a chance if they apply themselves fully.
Mbewe said after securing the qualification, the team should focus more on improving their physical fitness and conditioning to ensure they are ready to compete at the highest level.
He said the technical bench should also focus on engaging the team to play as a team and not an individual that is building from the back, into the midfield and upfront.
He noted that during the qualifiers, Zambia did well on the home games but faced challenges in scoring when playing away from home.
“Basically when you relook at the team’s away performances against Tanzania, Uganda and Morocco, one would notice that the record in scoring goals was not good. The technical bench should focus more on scoring goals because the World Cup will be played away from home fans” he said.
16 teams will be taking part in the 8th edition of the 2024 Under 17 Women’s World Cup which will be hosted by the Dominican Republic in October.
The Copper Princesses have been drawn in group D alongside Japan, Brazil and Poland
