Hummel axed, Nauseb captain

BRAVE Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile and his technical staff have axed defender George Hummel and appointed midfielder Robert Nauseb as the captain ahead of their clash against Libya in an African Nations Cup qualifier on Saturday.

The technical staff only retained 20 players, chopping seven – three midfielders, one defender, two strikers and a goalkeeper. The notable omission is George Hummel who guarded the defence alongside Hartman Toromba, Michael Pienaar and Franklin April last Saturday against Zambia in an international friendly match.Hummel is one of the most experienced defenders in the team and it appears that the coaches have decided to make room for new blood in Mali Ngarizemo who made it into the team after being on the sidelines last weekend.Surprisingly, midfielders Victor Helu of Ramblers and Johannes Seibeb of African Stars also got the chop, with German-based duo of Oliver Risser and Collin Benjamin slotting into those spots.Both Helu and Seibeb played against Zambia and they gave some steady performances in midfield, especially Helu who came on as a substitute.Helu connected well with Letu Shatimuene in midfield and kept the right wing alive, while his ball-controlling skills are nothing to go by.Eleven Arrows midfield-cum-striker Rudolph Bester, who was this month named as the MTC Player of the Season by Namibia Sport magazine, was also relived due to an injury.Black Africa striker Jerome Louis and Orlando Pirates frontman Edian Beukes also failed to get the nod, as both Sidney Plaatjies and Meraai Swartbooi were instead picked.SKW’s goalkeeper Heribert Kapeng was also dropped, with Athiel Mbaha who is currently clubless and Abisai Shiningayamwe of Jomos Cosmos both making the cut.Bamfuchile has retained the identical twin brothers Tara and Muna Katupose who impressed in their first home international match against Zambia last weekend.A surprise inclusion is Eddy Masweu who plays for Namib Chiefs, while the talented Blue Waters defender Gotlieb Nakuta also made it into the last 20.Still with the current team for Saturday’s match, the technical staff still needs to decide who will be their main striker for the match.Meraai Swartbooi will likely be used as the leading striker, but his height will be a disadvantage against the taller Libyan defenders, while Plaatjies can be another option.Plaatjies is generally effective as a left winger, but the coaches can possibly see if they would find some magic in the young Katupose brothers, who can also play as a central forwards.Benjamin, who has the physique to take on defenders, can also be used in attack, but his pace is questionable.It will be up to the midfielders to penetrate the Libyan defence and make things happen for the team as the puzzle for ruthless strikers in Namibia still remain unresolved.Namibia boasts with quality defenders with Pienaar expected to take charge, while Hartman Toromba, Franklin April, Jeremia Baisako and Ngarizemo can ably stand their ground.The defenders need to improve their communication as this has led to many goals scored against the Warriors.Sometimes offside traps fail to go the Warriors way, while simple back-passes are also causes for goals against them.The notable omission is George Hummel who guarded the defence alongside Hartman Toromba, Michael Pienaar and Franklin April last Saturday against Zambia in an international friendly match.Hummel is one of the most experienced defenders in the team and it appears that the coaches have decided to make room for new blood in Mali Ngarizemo who made it into the team after being on the sidelines last weekend.Surprisingly, midfielders Victor Helu of Ramblers and Johannes Seibeb of African Stars also got the chop, with German-based duo of Oliver Risser and Collin Benjamin slotting into those spots.Both Helu and Seibeb played against Zambia and they gave some steady performances in midfield, especially Helu who came on as a substitute.Helu connected well with Letu Shatimuene in midfield and kept the right wing alive, while his ball-controlling skills are nothing to go by.Eleven Arrows midfield-cum-striker Rudolph Bester, who was this month named as the MTC Player of the Season by Namibia Sport magazine, was also relived due to an injury.Black Africa striker Jerome Louis and Orlando Pirates frontman Edian Beukes also failed to get the nod, as both Sidney Plaatjies and Meraai Swartbooi were instead picked.SKW’s goalkeeper Heribert Kapeng was also dropped, with Athiel Mbaha who is currently clubless and Abisai Shiningayamwe of Jomos Cosmos both making the cut.Bamfuchile has retained the identical twin brothers Tara and Muna Katupose who impressed in their first home international match against Zambia last weekend.A surprise inclusion is Eddy Masweu who plays for Namib Chiefs, while the talented Blue Waters defender Gotlieb Nakuta also made it into the last 20.Still with the current team for Saturday’s match, the technical staff still needs to decide who will be their main striker for the match.Meraai Swartbooi will likely be used as the leading striker, but his height will be a disadvantage against the taller Libyan defenders, while Plaatjies can be another option.Plaatjies is generally effective as a left winger, but the coaches can possibly see if they would find some magic in the young Katupose brothers, who can also play as a central forwards.Benjamin, who has the physique to take on defenders, can also be used in attack, but his pace is questionable.It will be up to the midfielders to penetrate the Libyan defence and make things happen for the team as the puzzle for ruthless strikers in Namibia still remain unresolved.Namibia boasts with quality defenders with Pienaar expected to take charge, while Hartman Toromba, Franklin April, Jeremia Baisako and Ngarizemo can ably stand their ground.The defenders need to improve their communication as this has led to many goals scored against the Warriors.Sometimes offside traps fail to go the Warriors way, while simple back-passes are also causes for goals against them.