Can ZESCO United success ever lead to continental dominance

Founded in 1974, Zesco United has dominated the MTN/FAZ Super League for the last two decades.

The Ndola-based outfit has won nine (9) super league trophies and (5) five ABSA cups which has helped Zega Mambo to emerge as a dominant force in the country. At some point, Zesco went on to win (3) three consecutive super league titles (2017,2018, and 2019) joining the elite club of Kabwe Warriors, Green Buffaloes, Mighty Mufulira Wanderers, and Nkana as the only clubs to win three consecutive league titles.

The question remains, can Team ya Ziko turn their local dominance into a continental competition success?

Zambia is considered a powerhouse when it comes to football, having reached three Africa cup of nations finals though only managing to win the competition once. For most fans, it’s a bitter taste to note that no Zambian club has ever reached the finals of Africa’s biggest club competition in the recent past.

Only Power Dynamos can boost of having won a continental trophy in Zambia, the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991, a year earlier their arch-rivals, Nkana reached the final of the 1990 African Cup of Champions Clubs losing to Algerian outfit, JS Kabylie.

Despite dominating the super league, Zesco United has failed to impose themselves in CAF-organized tournaments. The Confederation of African Football CAF has two club competitions running currently, these include, the CAF Champions League and the second-tier competition the Confederation Cup.

Having missed the current Champions League, Zesco United is one of the regular participants in CAF competitions. Though the Zambian champions are yet to win any CAF Competition, their highest finish was reaching the semi-finals of the champions league in 2016 where they lost to eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns. While in the confederation cup, United’s achievement is reaching the quarter-finals.

So what are they getting wrong? Well throughout the history of the Champions league the team which invests more usually wins or performs better than others. Therefore, the easy response here is to point to the club’s budget.

Despite recent growth, Zesco United’s overall income is still dwarfed by that of the biggest clubs such as Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, Wydad Casablanca, and Mamelodi Sundowns. According to the new club rankings, Zesco United is not even among the top 20 richest clubs in the continent. This means that they can’t keep hold of their best players. In the past five (5) years Team Ya Ziko has lost several high-quality players to teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Simba just to mention a few.

Some football analysts offered one possible explanation to why Zesco United can’t perform in continental competitions. They pointed out that FAZ/MTN super league clubs were not used to the high tempo at which other African clubs play the game. The standard of play is different compared to the local league and the coaches are highly tactical.

Another aspect to note is that the players in continental competition are technically gifted. In 2019 then Zesco United coach George Lwandamina was quoted in the media saying “there’s a big difference between the local league and CAF competition. Teams in the champions league are better equipped and with gifted players.”

Many have argued that Zesco United’s problem is simply one of tactics. Under Chicken Lwandamina Zesco United preferred using the 4-2-3-1 formation. This formation relies on two defensive-minded midfielders who provide cover for the back four and three creative attacking players who provide chances for the strikers.

Domestically this system has brought huge success to Zega Mambo, it’s under this formation which the Kenyan striker Jesse Jackson Were has scored over 100 goals for United. However this system hasn’t yielded the same benefits in continental competitions, opposing teams have done a better job in restricting United’s attacking threat.

The weakness of the 4-2-3-1 formation is that there is less cover for the fullbacks because there are no traditional wingers to help them out in defense. Well-drilled and tactical teams have exposed this weakness several times. Lwandamina’s successor, Mumamba Numba has brought some changes in the structure and shape of the team, he has tried a different system to find the right balance in attack and defense. At the beginning of the season, he used the 4-3-3 formation but it’s worth noting that Zesco United’s title charge to the ninth super league came about when coach Numba switched back to the 4-2-3-1 system. Numba Mumamba is one of the best coaches in Zambia and he has proven that fact.

When Zesco United had problems, he was proactive in fixing the challenges that Zage Mambo faced. With good financial backing from the board, Numba may be that coach who would finally deliver continental silverware at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.