With Munetsi suspended and Rinomhota unavailable, coach Michael Nees is banking on Marvelous Nakamba’s discipline and leadership to steady Zimbabwe’s midfield and unleash in-form youngsters like Maswanhise, Chirewa and Ngwenya.
Despite limited club action, Nakamba is still Zimbabwe’s most dependable figure to organise play, protect the back line and maintain control—qualities that are vital as the Warriors look to their young attackers to provide the spark up front.
Marvelous Nakamba may not have played much club football this season, but he remains Zimbabwe’s most reliable option to steady the midfield in the World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda. With vice-captain Marshall Munetsi suspended and Andy Rinomhota unavailable, coach Michael Nees insists the Warriors cannot afford to go into key matches with a midfield built only on rookies.
Nakamba’s game is built on reading danger, breaking up play and keeping possession simple. His presence allows the Warriors’ young attackers—such as Tawanda Maswanhise, Tawanda Chirewa and Thando Ngwenya—to focus on creating chances higher up the pitch. Maswanhise, in particular, has been in top form at Motherwell, scoring and stretching defences in Scotland, and will benefit from Nakamba’s stability behind him.
Recent defeats to Lesotho and South Africa showed how costly Zimbabwe’s lack of discipline and organisation in midfield can be. Nees is banking on Nakamba’s experience to close those gaps, slow the game when needed, and protect the back line against quick counter-attacks.
For the Warriors, Nakamba’s leadership and defensive structure could prove decisive in two must-win fixtures, giving the platform for Zimbabwe’s in-form youngsters to make the difference.
Zimbabwe Warriors Zone Verdict
For two result-driven qualifiers, experience plus defensive organisation outweigh the lack of recent club minutes. The metrics back it up: recoveries, interceptions, duel solidity and safe distribution are exactly what unlocks Zimbabwe’s best version—a stable base that lets Maswanhise’s hot club form and other attackers decide the game higher up.
Source: ZimbabweWarriorsZone.com