ZESCO United Football Club Team Ya Ziko
Three games, three losses are the stats that will cloud the minds of ZESCO United’s faithful supporters ahead of Saturday’s league clash against Nchanga Rangers scheduled for the Levy Mwanawasa stadium, Ndola.
However, the biggest question that begs an answer is whether ZESCO United can rise from the abyss and mount a serious title challenge.
Last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of relegation threatened Chambishi left club acting head coach, Alfred Lupiya both helpless and resolved.
Helpless in the sense that after last week’s 1-3 loss to Green Buffaloes which Lupiya attributed to poor work ethic from his players, the side looked even less resolved to comeback from their midweek set back when they later lost 2-0 to relegation threatened Chambishi.
This overwhelming setback has however left Lupiya even more resolved to change the narrative when ZESCO United face Nchanga Rangers with the latter currently occupying ninth position with nineteen points whilst the former sit on eleventh with seventeen points.
“The attitude of my players in today’s game was worse than what we saw during the Green Buffaloes game. ZESCO United is a big football club that doesn’t deserve to be where they are today. I will ring changes and bring on players that will be ready to deliver for the club on Saturday,” Lupiya said.
A loss to Chambishi has left ZESCO United eleven point behind league leaders Power Dynamos who have twenty-eight.
It is a predicament that leaves the six-times Absa cup champions with a possibility of not taking part in next year’s competition and a potential failure to win a tenth league title for the second successive season.
This week, club top management expressed concern over the performance of the team and further assured ZESCO United supporters of accelerating the process of getting a new head coach.
In his Sunday press statement, Club Chairman, Maxwell Saya said: We are deeply concerned with the current form of our team. ZESCO United is a big football club whose standards should not be below par. The recent three league defeats cannot be ignored.
“As part of the first step in arresting the current state of our team, I wish to inform our stakeholders that the club will this week announce the new head coach.”
There is a high likelihood that ZESCO United players will be going into Saturday’s game against Nchanga pumped up to impress their new gaffer.
Saturday’s game is likely to be a turning point for the nine times Zambian super league champions hopes of having another shot at the title.
Author: Desmond Katongo
