Former Chipolopolo midfielder Noah Chivuta has hailed the Zambia Under-17 national team as a special group of talented players with the potential to play attractive, possession-based football.

The Junior Chipolopolo have booked their spot in the quarterfinals of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and secured qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to take place in Qatar later this year.

Ian Bakala’s side will face Burkina Faso on Thursday in a crucial quarterfinal clash, with a semi-final spot on the line.

However, in an interview, Chivuta noted that despite the team’s potential, they have struggled to maintain possession in recent matches, often finding themselves on the back foot defensively.

“It affects a lot when you’re not keeping possession because when you keep the ball, you’ll be widening the field and looking for spaces. So, once you lose the ball and you are not organized it affects the defensive bloc,” he said.

Chivuta added that “because you leave spaces when you are attacking, in transitioning you will be punished, and it takes time for you to reorganize, but if you are keeping possession, it means you are closer to each other; you are moving as a bloc. As you lose possession, there will be two or three people supporting where the ball is, and they can easily win the ball back and keep possession.”

Burkina Faso is beatable- Chivuta

Chivuta, who is a trained performance analyst, has noted that Bakala’s side is capable of getting a positive result against Burkina Faso, who have thrived by attacking in large numbers, which can be exploited by Zambia if they keep possession.

“We are playing Burkina Faso; they are strong, and the West Africans, by stature, are bigger than us,” he noted.

“This group we are having now – they are special kids. We just stick to the plan and keep the ball a bit longer, dictating play and letting them also be caught off guard. Burkina Faso attacks in numbers, so once you get the ball, then you capitalize on the spaces they’ll be leaving.

“We have already achieved one goal of qualifying, so now the pressure – it’s not really too much. Let’s just enjoy and play our normal game. Opportunities will arise, and we can capitalize on them. We have been scoring many goals, so we are capable of doing so. No team can challenge us if we go with a good game plan.”

READ MORE: “Lift the AFCON” – Spain-based Zambian midfielder tells Zambia U-17