KANYEMBA IDENTIFIES WEAKNESSES AFTER ZAMBIA’S 3-0 LOSS TO CHINA

Zambia Under-17 Women’s National Team head coach Carol Kanyemba says the team must improve its ball retention, defensive transitions and set-piece defending following a 3-0 defeat to China in an international friendly played yesterday.

Kanyemba said the match provided a valuable opportunity to assess the players against high-level opposition ahead of Zambia’s campaign at the upcoming FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

The coach explained that Zambia initially defended in a mid-block and low-block structure, managing to contain China before switching to open play and a high-pressing approach.

However, the changes exposed gaps in the team’s organisation, particularly when transitioning from attack to defence.

“We started the first half in a mid-block and low-block and were able to hold on to China. We transitioned into open play, mid-block and also high pressing, which I think created a lot of gaps,” Kanyemba said.

She added that the technical bench deliberately gave every available player an opportunity to feature in the friendly to assess how they would respond to the demands of international football.

According to Kanyemba, the exercise helped the coaches identify weaknesses that emerged following substitutions and changes in the team’s defensive structure.

“We made every player who is here play so that they could have a feel of a high-calibre game and see how they respond to it. That was the reason for this friendly,” she said.

Kanyemba admitted that Zambia struggled to retain possession, while some players lacked the confidence to make themselves available to receive the ball.

She said the team would continue working on its movement and possession play to ensure the players become more comfortable under pressure.

“I think we lost a lot of possession. The players were not making themselves available, so we need to continue building that confidence,” she said.

The coach also highlighted slow defensive transitions, particularly when Zambia pressed high up the pitch, as another area requiring urgent attention.

She explained that the delay in recovering defensive positions allowed China to exploit spaces, while lapses in defending corner kicks contributed to the goals conceded.

“We need to work on our transition in defence, especially when we use a high-block press, because our transition was quite slow and we got exposed,” Kanyemba said.

“We also conceded mostly from set pieces, from corners, so we have to work on how we defend those situations. I think the goals we conceded would have been avoidable.”

Despite the defeat, Kanyemba believes the friendly served its purpose by exposing the players to the level of competition they will face at the global tournament.

She said the experience should help the team raise its performance levels and approach the opening match with a clearer understanding of the challenge ahead.

Zambia will begin its Group D campaign against Japan in a group that also includes France and Venezuela.

Kanyemba noted that China’s style of play offered useful preparation for the Japanese challenge, giving the players an opportunity to experience some of the demands they could encounter in their opening fixture.

“China has been playing against Japan, and we have had exactly the kind of play that Japan has. So the players now know what is at stake as we face Japan,” she said.

Kanyemba reaffirmed the technical bench’s commitment to developing the players, saying the team would continue working on the identified weaknesses as preparations progress.