Zambia’s lack of continuity in defence and midfield has raised concerns ahead of their crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Algeria and Togo.
Football analyst Maria Banda believes the Chipolopolo have struggled to make progress because of frequent changes involving both players and coaches, leaving the national side without settled combinations in key areas of the pitch.
Banda, who has followed Zambian football for more than 20 years, says the team has become increasingly inconsistent as it continues to search for the right balance.
Zambia head coach George “Chicken” Lwandamina has named a 27-man squad for the qualifiers, with the Chipolopolo scheduled to face Algeria on 25 September before taking on Togo four days later on 29 September.
Banda does not fault Lwandamina for the selection but believes the composition of the squad highlights a wider issue surrounding continuity within the national team.
According to the analyst, 63% of the players called up have featured for Zambia in their previous five matches.
She believes that statistic suggests there is greater familiarity within the team’s attacking department than in midfield and defence.
“We seem to have failed to find a solid combination. Perhaps that is why every coach who comes in wants to try his own combination,” Banda said.
Zambia’s attacking options provide one area where Banda believes there is already an established understanding.
Patson Daka, Fashion Sakala and Lameck Banda have formed a familiar attacking combination and have gained competitive experience playing together for the national team.
That familiarity, however, has not been matched at the other end of the pitch.
Banda has raised particular questions about the defensive unit included in Lwandamina’s latest squad, pointing to Dominic Chanda, Obino Chisala, Frederick Mwimanzi and Tinkler Sinkala as players who have had some recent international exposure.
“The current squad has players such as Dominic Chanda, Obino Chisala, Frederick Mwimanzi and Tinkler Sinkala. These players have some recent level of international exposure, but the defensive unit is not the same established combination that we have used in previous competitive campaigns,” Banda said.
For Banda, the uncertainty over Zambia’s defensive partnership comes at an important stage of the qualification campaign.
With the Chipolopolo preparing for matches against Algeria and Togo, she believes the lack of established combinations could make the challenge of securing qualification more difficult.
The analyst argues that a national team competing for a place at the 2027 AFCON should already have a clearer understanding of its preferred combinations, particularly in defence and midfield.
“Not having solid combinations at this point, when we are fighting for AFCON qualification, leaves a very bad taste in my mouth about the reality of the difficult challenge we are about to experience,” she said.
The concerns extend beyond the upcoming fixtures, with Banda also questioning Zambia’s broader football direction.
Her assessment points to a national team that has maintained a degree of continuity in attack but continues to search for stability in the areas behind the forward line.
The situation leaves Lwandamina facing an important test as Zambia prepares for two significant qualifiers later this month.
While Banda accepts that the coach’s squad selection is not the central problem, she believes the wider lack of continuity among players and coaches has contributed to Zambia’s inconsistency.
The Chipolopolo will therefore enter the September qualifiers with an established attacking trio but questions remaining over the combinations in midfield and defence.
Those issues will be tested when Zambia face Algeria on 25 September and Togo on 29 September in their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.
