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Norman Mapeza

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
SEVEN years after he began his adventure as Zimbabwe caretaker coach with a date against Liberia, Norman Mapeza returns to the Warriors touchline in a similar capacity tomorrow and against the same opponents when the Warriors begin their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification bid. The Warriors will host the Lone Star at the National Sports Stadium in only the third meeting between the two sides.

Then, as now, the Warriors and the Lone Star will be fighting for qualification for the 2012 Nations Cup finals co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

In their showdown tomorrow, the Warriors and the Lone Star will be fighting for points in a tough Group G that also includes neighbours Congo Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo.

While Mapeza began his adventure as interim Warriors coach with an away assignment in Monrovia on September 5, 2010, the FC Platinum coach will lead his charges against the same opponents tomorrow with the only difference being that this time he will start at home.

Mapeza only has two survivors from the squad that travelled to Monrovia seven years ago on his first Warriors assignment, where talismanic forward Knowledge Musona, now the team’s captain, struck his first goal for Zimbabwe.

The only other survivor from that team that travelled to Liberia is veteran SuperSport United left back Onismor Bhasera.

However, in the reverse fixture against the Lone Star in Harare in September 2011, midfielder Ovidy Karuru, who scored one of the goals in a 3-0 triumph and defender Lincoln Zvasiya, who came on as a 64th minute substitute featured for Zimbabwe and are back in the senior side after a lengthy absence.

But there is no doubting that much of the spotlight in tomorrow’s Group G opener will naturally fall on Mapeza and Musona, given their important roles in the Warriors.

In that game at the Samuel Kenyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Musona, who was playing for South African giants Kaizer Chiefs, scored in the 30th minute in only his fourth appearance for the Warriors after graduating from the national Under-20 side.

The Smiling Assassin had also been voted the South African Premiership Rookie of the Year for the 2009-2010 season when he announced his arrival as the “next best thing’’ to happen to the Warriors attack.

Musona has since matured with age and the experience that comes from playing in the tougher European leagues to take the responsibility of leading the Warriors’ line of attack and it did not come as much of a surprise to many when Mapeza named him the new skipper of the team.

The 26-year-old forward had also been captain of the Under-20 side before graduating into the Warriors in 2010. Mapeza, just like Musona, has also continued to gain experience and also mature as a coach with the former Galatasary man rated among the top coaches in the country.

When Mapeza first took charge of the Warriors, he was building a team that was coming from the ashes of a disastrous 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign under Brazilian Valinhos.

For tomorrow’s assignment, Mapeza will take charge of a Warriors side that is looking for redemption after a poor 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, where Callisto Pasuwa’s men finished winless and with just a point from their 2-2 draw against Algeria.

There have been a number of changes to that squad that did duty in Gabon under Pasuwa, with the likes of Willard Katsande, Nyasha Mushekwi, Cuthbert Malajila and Costa Nhamoinesu, who were a regular feature missing for varying reasons.

Another inspirational forward Khama Billiat, who scored in the 3-0 win over Liberia at the National Sports Stadium on September 4, 2011, also misses tomorrow’s match because of an ankle injury that has sidelined him from Mamelodi Sundowns duties in the last month.

But Mapeza, who knows the significance of tomorrow’s game in setting the tone for Zimbabwe’s quest for a place at the next Nations Cup finals in Cameroon, has enough arsenal to continue his dominance over the Lone Star.

The Warriors caretaker coach can call on the talents of midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, who plies his trade in Netherlands, Mariztburg United striker Evans Rusike and slippery winger Kuda Mahachi of Golden Arrows.

Gritty Golden Arrows midfielder Danny Phiri, Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro and diminutive midfielder Ronald Chitiyo, who has been so impressive in CAPS United’s Champions League campaign and has attracted fresh interest from some South African clubs, are also available for selection for tomorrow’s battle.

While the Warriors have the advantage on the head-to-head clashes, Mapeza is also fully aware that this is a changed Lone Star side from the team he drew against and beat seven years ago.

The West Africans might be missing two of their most influential players — Mamelodi Sundowns’ Anthony Laffor and William Jebor of Wydad Casablanca — but Mapeza is one man who will not be faltered into believing that Lone Star are in Harare for a battering.

Liberia might have had their best years in the era of 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, and twice qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and 2002, they have been trying to rebuild their side.

The Lone Star draw the bulk of their talent from homegrown stars as well a host of players who play in exotic leagues in Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

For all their enthusiasm, the Liberians could fall flat to the pair of Mapeza and Musona as the Warriors duo seek to roll back the hands of time to seven years ago.