The second match of Malawi’s COSAFA Cup campaign ended in a nightmare for them. In a game where both teams struggled to create any chances, the Malawians opened the score right after kick-off in the second half. After some defensive errors, striker Khuda Muyaba slotted the ball in the open net. After this, it looked like Malawi was going to easily take the three points. In the final minutes of the game though Eswatini got a penalty awarded, for something that looked like a completely fair challenge to me. Sabelo Ndzinisa didn’t fail from the spot and got Eswatini a point.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Chimwemwe Idana
Player profile:
- Nationality: Malawian
- Age: 23
- Date of Birth: 07/09/1998
- Current Club: Nyasa Big Bullets
- Career: Nyasa Big Bullets
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Chimwemwe Idana, who plays in the Malawian league for Nyasa Big Bullets, played as one of the two central midfielders in Malawi’s side. Malawi played in sort of a 4-2-4 formation, sometimes this changed to a 4-3-3 with right winger Mhone moving to the midfield, leaving Peter Banda as a left winger and two strikers up top. Idana played an outstanding match for Malawi and really made Malawi have control in midfield together with captain John Banda.
Defensively Idana picked up a huge amount of loose balls in midfield. He showed the ability to read the game well and intercepted a lot of passes or was closing down passing lanes. The 23-year-old played quite high up the pitch when Malawi was in possession, but would always track back very well and was never really caught out of position. Malawi wasn’t really pressing very high as a team often, but just after the kick-off of the second half, they saw their chance, with success. Idana blocked a pass from one of Eswatini’s defenders, which allowed Muyaba to score.
According to Wyscout Idana is just 1.70m tall, which I doubt as I think he is slightly taller. In defensive duels, I didn’t really rate him that much this match and I definitely think he can do better. He looked a bit cautious at times and I missed a bit of intensity in physical duels from him.
In possession, Idana was even more important for Malawi. He positioned himself very well, constantly trying to make triangles with his teammates and was constantly open to receive the ball. The Malawian midfielder showed good first touches and later on in the game even successfully took on some opponents on in midfield. He linked up very well with his teammates and did very well recycling possession for his side. Idana displayed great composure and maturity on the ball. This combined with his good decision making made him the most consistent player on the pitch. In the last five minutes of the game he started looking slightly over-confident though, trying a bit too much and taking some poor decisions.
Rating – A1
Chimwemwe Idana put in a very good shift and based off of this match I don’t see why he couldn’t play higher than the Malawian league. However, I’m not too sure about his defensive abilities and would like to see him play against some better opposition to properly judge his potential as a player.
Peter Banda
Player profile:
- Nationality: Malawian
- Age: 21
- Date of Birth: 22/09/2001
- Current Club: Simba SC
- Career: Griffin Young Stars FC, Nyasa Big Bullets, FC Sheriff Tiraspol (Loan), Simba SC
- Position: Attacking Midfielder
- Secondary Position: Left Wing, Right Wing
- Preferred Foot: Right
Peter Banda played as the left winger in Malawi’s 4-2-4 formation. Banda switched up his positioning, sometimes playing very narrow but also playing from close to the sideline. The 21-year-old showed that he potentially can be an exciting player but also that he still has quite some flaws in his game.
The Eswatini defenders had a very hard time pressing Peter Banda. The young winger is quite small, standing at 1.69m and was able to turn very quickly with the ball at his feet. He also used some smart body feints to create space for himself and send the defenders the wrong way. In 1v1’s with his opponents, he liked to cut inside to his right foot but was also able to pass his opponent around the outside, going for a cross with his left foot. In these moments he showed that he was very explosive on the first few meters, winning a lot of ground over his direct opponent. Banda also showed good work rate, tracking back well in situations he needed to and doing his defensive duties.
You could hear the crowd get excited every time Peter Banda received the ball. The winger, who plays in Tanzania, showed plenty of skills and tricks when beating his opponents, which the fans really appreciated. Banda looked deadly when he had 1v1 opportunities with Eswatini’s right back and was easily able to get past him time after time. However, his output in the final third looked like a bit of a bottleneck for him. His crosses, with both feet, were too inconsistent. He created some dangerous situations but I like he missed some awareness, by not scanning enough, and the quality of most of his crosses was just too low. Banda had a few shooting opportunities and showed he has a decent shot in his right foot but the goalkeeper stood in his way.
Rating – A1
Peter Banda liked to entertain the crowd but didn’t overcomplicate things for himself and the skills he used were effective. The 21-year-old had a decent spell at Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova and I feel like he should have the potential to play for a decent side in Europe. A move to the Norwegian or Swedish league could work out for him.