Thread by @theeaeye

Ahead of Tanzania’s opening #AFCON2023Q game against Niger today, we take a look at Aziz Andabwile Mwambalaswa, a young midfielder who’s rise to prominence with Mbeya City this season has seen him take a deserved spot with the travelling squad to Benin. 🇹🇿

Aziz has been one of the best, and most consistent performing midfielders in the Tanzania Premier League this season. He’s made 20 starts in 20 appearances, played 1718 minutes and taken part in 95% of potential minutes for @MbeyaCityFC.

The young, combative midfielder is renowned for the defensive attributes, particularly his ability to step in and challenge the opposition without conceding fouls, which could act as a good indicator for Aziz’s ability to read the game and anticipate the next phases.

Aziz is more than just a ball-winning defensive midfielder, his expansive passing range allows him to progress the ball in the buildup phase but also switch the tempo of the attack.

Aziz’s overall technical skill is proficient enough for him to knit play together with short passing combinations, but he can also hit longer range diagonal passes in-behind a defensive line to accelerate the speed of his teams attack.

Aziz is by no means the finished article, despite an impressive robustness he would benefit from developing his explosive speed and ability to break lines with the ball at his feet.

Standing at just over 1.84m tall, the 22-year-old is not the tallest midfielders in the league, but his timing and impressive vertical jump means he’s been an asset for Mbeya City this season when challenging for aerial duels from defensive and attacking set pieces situations.

Aziz has clearly made a good first impression on the Taifa Stars technical bench following his senior national team debut against CAR 🇨🇫 in March, his industry and impact could prove important for Tanzania 🇹🇿 over their AFCON 2023 qualifying campaign.

🎥