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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter

AFTER a long and otherwise a frustrating wait, Warriors coach Norman Mapeza yesterday finally decided to hand Germany-based midfielder Jonah Fabisch his debut in a 2022 World Cup football qualifier against Ethiopia at the National Sports Stadium.

And for the youngster, it was bitter-sweet.

Coming on for the out-of-sorts stand-in skipper Khama Billiat with the Warriors leading 1-0 in the second half, seeing Ethiopia scoring late in the match didn’t make the script perfect.

Neither did his being part of a team which failed to win a single match in six 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

But he proved he can play a role, a key one too, for the Warriors when he came on.

He is not exactly the smartest player around but he can use his body to hustle for the ball and play it as well.

Five times he retrieved the ball from the opposition and as many times distributed it on the flanks well.

The Humburger player likes to sit deep and in the midfield and for a team which was using a 4-2-3-1 formation, he somewhat ended up making it a 4-3-3 structure, making the midfield compressed.

Mapeza realised that and twice called him, dishing out instructions and it worked.

With a little bit of luck, Fabisch could have ended the game with an assist but David Moyo, having been fed perfectly, was indecisive, as he has always been.

“I am gradually introducing these youngsters into the team,” said Mapeza.

“We obviously had to give him (Fabisch) a chance. He is committed and very well focused. He is also a good footballer and he has a lot in terms of potential as well.

“He gave us a good shift. He is a fighter and he hardly loses the ball. But, his introduction should be gradual. We had to give him some minutes and he showed what he is capable of doing. He can become a top, top player for us in the future. You guys saw him and it’s up to you to judge. He has the potential and we can bank on him. But what is important is the process, which should be gradual. 

“We need to incorporate him into the system in a gradual manner and that way he can learn and eventually become a top player he should be.”

The 20-year-old son of the late former Warriors coach, Reinhard Fabisch, said his debut for Zimbabwe was not exactly what he had expected given the team dropped the points which looked very much in their grasp.

“Dropping off points is something which is very disappointing especially at home,” said Fabisch.

“We were looking at winning this final match against Ethiopia to try and get the confidence we need going forward.

“We need to win to restore our pride as a nation. But well as a player, I am happy with how I performed although I feel I should have done a lot better in some of the aspects of the game.

“I am still learning and I am grateful to the coach for showing faith in me. I hope to keep on learning in the team going forward.”