Player Profile: Stoppila Sunzu

Are Arsenal keen on Sunzu's services?
The All-Powerful Mazembe: Africa’s Best
Due to Katumbi’s opulence, Mazembe don’t have the financial worries to accept pittance offers that many African clubs have to, and players like Sunzu simply haven’t had the need to move for small money, or have delayed their migration to Europe until an offer that Mazembe couldn’t refuse came their way. For instance, the team’s talisman, Tresor Mputu, who had trials with Arsenal in 2008 but Mazembe deemed the £1.25m offered not high enough, earns a basic salary of £10,000 a month plus substantial win bonuses in the African Champions League, a competition Mazembe have won twice in the last four years. In an age where being offered £60,000 is insulting enough to make Ashley Cole nearly veer off the road with angry-Daily-Mail-reader apoplexy, £10,000 may seem frugal but it’s a figure of mind-boggling proportions in the DR Congo.

Sunzu has enjoyed continental success with Mazembe
The essence of Mazembe’s philosophy is having a cadre of the most talented indigenous players and then sprinkling them with a smattering of the best talent from elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, and herein is where prodigious talent like Sunzu come in. Without the defensive intelligence of Sunzu, Mputu and co. would not have the framework to flourish. Coming in at 6’2”, the Zambian is a colossal presence at the heart of Mazembe’s defence, showing an excellent fusion of speed, strength, aerial ability, penalty-box positioning and tackling.
Yet Sunzu is far beyond a mere centre-back. Sub-Saharan African teams stereotypically rely on the break-necking pace, trickery and power of their players to break down the opposition and lack the regista – the tempo-setter, the dictator of play, etc – that is vital if a team is to succeed at the very highest level. Mazembe, for all their success, are no different. Although they have the resources to acquire a regista from, say, North Africa, Mazembe have been frustratingly myopic and maintained their Sub Saharan roots. In a week where a Zenit St Petersburg fan group sent a letter to their club demanding they refrain from buying black players, it isn’t inconceivable to think a TP Mazembe fan group did similar but demanded their club not sign registas instead, because it is a department they have been severely lacking in.
That Achilles heel ultimately led to their elimination at the semi-final stage of this year’s African Champions League to Tunisian giants Esperance, but Sunzu goes some way to providing the panacea for that crippling weakness and re-addressing a balance in a team that can be gung-ho, particularly on away turf.
Playing Style
He has been deployed as a defensive midfielder in Mazembe’s 4-3-3 system and shown equal comfortableness in the position. Usually joined by the effervescent Rainford Kalaba and one of Nathan Sinkala/Deo Kanda in the midfield three, Sunzu is often left with too much to do positionally and as a driving force; Kalaba and Kanda are lightweight attacking midfielders masquerading as central midfielders. His importance, though, cannot be underestimated. When he went off due to injury at half-time against gritty Ghanaian side Berekum Chelsea, all hell broke loose and Mazembe went on to lose the game 1-0, a scoreline that doesn’t depict the whole story. Not only does Sunzu provide the structural balance, he is blessed with wonderful long-range passing that always seems to locate Mputu, who lurks in the area between the wings and attacking midfield position (the 8 and a half position, someone like Brendan Rodgers may call it) and regularly breaches the oppostion’s backline thanks to Sunzu’s passes. Exhibit A: the delicious pass by Sunzu to send Mputu on his way for this delightful 2nd goal by Deo Kanda against Al Ahly. The Mputu-Sunzu connection is a key feature of TP Mazembe’s play when the Zambian is stationed in the defensive midfield position.

Sunzu has comfortably dealt with the likes of Drogba, Gyan and Aboutrika
On the international stage, Sunzu has delivered a phalanx of excellent performances, the apex of coming when Zambia lifted the Africa Cup of Nations in February to jettison a poignant tale and serotonin all over the world of football. Strong aerially, quick across the ground, he delivered an outstanding performance in the final as he made several crucial interceptions due to his good penalty-box positioning and marshalled Didier Drogba out of the game, matching the Ivorian for strength and stride. Fittingly, it was he who then had the sang-froid to score the winning penalty. His performance in last month’s Mandela Cup match against South Africa was another collector’s item. In a match where the defending African champions were far from their best, he muted the nauseating vuvuzela sounds with another consummate performance as Zambia strolled to a 1-0 win.
Long Due Acknowledgement
Inevitably, recognition for his consistent excellence has sauntered towards him. This week, he was voted the TP Mazembe Player of the Year for 2012, winning the award with 340 votes; Mputu, his closest challenger and an omnipotent figure in DR Congo, had 300 votes. Last month, a more grandiose accolade came in the form of his name being on the five-man shortlist for the CAF African-based Footballer of the Year.
There was a furore when Zambia skipper Christopher Katongo, who was yesterday announced the BBC African Player of the Year despite suffering relegation at club level, didn’t make the ten-men ahortlist of the eminent, if misleading, overall CAF African Footballer of the Year award due to his exploits with Zambia. Yet Sunzu has indefatigably been the most consistent Zambia player during this calendar year, inasmuch as eclipsing Katongo, all things considered. The level he is playing at means his moments may not have reached the monumentality of Didier Drogba’s and Yaya Toure’s, both of who have been included in the shortlist, but he certainly deserved to be on the shortlist instead of names such as Jon Obi Mikel and Gervinho.
If Sunzu has a weakness as a defender, then I haven’t seen it yet. Throughout the TP Mazembe and Zambia matches he has been error-free, that’s not to say that he’s a world-class defender or will be an emphatic success wherever he ends up; after all, football isn’t maths: it’s not logical. A move to a different country, continent and culture will generate different questions to those that he has answered with defiance in Africa. So, I’ll just put it this way: if my team was to sign a player based in Africa, defenestrating who we need and don’t need out of the equation, then it would be Stoppila Sunzu.
Video
We made a short video to illustrate Stoppila Sunzu’s playing style. On show is aerial dominance, strong man-marking and intelligent reading of the game. In addition to a defensive masterclass, a short clip of Sunzu’s cameo vs. ES Tunis has been included. Said video is candid and displays Sunzu’s tactical discipline and simple play at the pivot position.
Great article. Excellent and insightful writing.
From an Arsenal Supporter
Thanks for the kind words, very appreciated.
I figured I’d see a fellow Gooner responding to this article. I’d rather sign him too. He will make a great addition to either our midfield or our backline. I can see him playing the Cheik Tiote role with as much ease as he can playing in Mertesacker or Vermaelen’s position.
Yep, agree with Gooner, great reading! Well done!
Thanks!
excellently written. Insightful and encouraging. Its really nice to know arsene hasn’t lost his top talent scouting. Because from this article, sunzu’s one of the best prospects in African football
Thanks. Sunzu is definitely one of the best prospects in African football. He has guys like Msakni for competition in those stakes, but I’d say Sunzu is more refined than Msakni. I certainly can’t think of a better defensive-minded prospect.
Wow, great article. Excellent and insightful writing. Provided me with a profile of the player and an overview of African soccer–an area of the world which I’m afraid I don’t follow closely. Much appreciated.
Cheers
Thanks, and you’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
Great stuff. The video was particularly well put together. He seems like just what Arsenal need in midfield.
It will be interesting to see how exactly Wenger would deploy Sunzu in midfield. Emancipating Arteta from his defensive burden should unleash his creative passing. If there’s a player playing with the ‘hand-brake’ on, it’s Mikel Arteta. An Arteta-Sunzu double anchor would mean Wilshere slips into the no 10 role, as dropping him is unfathomable. Santi Cazorla would occupy one of the wider positions. This set-up would bolster Arsenal’s defensive solidity and would be useful in away matches.
Another avenue the boss can take is isolate Sunzu as a lone anchor in a 4-3-3- a ‘Busquets’ role, if you will. This is how he plays at Mazembe when deployed in the midfield. In this position he tends to stay central and rarely veers to either touch-line. He also emphasizes simple play, though he can play an incisive ball through the lines to an attacking midfielder. In front of Sunzu, Wilshere and Cazorla would shoulder the attacking onus. Such a line-up would translate to more of an attacking dynamic and could spell devastation for the opposition.
That is how I would view Sunzu’s prospective role in the Arsenal midfield. I appreciate the kind words about the video. Thanks for reading and sharing
I would appreciate reading more articles like this about African based footballers. Well written. Thank you.
Great write up.. I hope he’s half as exciting as what U’ve documented.. That way we’ll have a great talent in our hands.. COYG!
I would appreciate reading more articles like this about African based footballers. Insigthful and well written. Thank you
Keep an eye out! Plenty in the works at SFG for the upcoming months. Thanks for reading
Am a Zambian and am also a gunners supporter.when news came out in our local papers that arsenal want to sign Stopila Sunzu,i was like he is a much better player than most of the players that we have in defense.For strikers,there is another Zambian Emmanuel Mayuka who is now with Southampton,good player as well.Though he does not feature regularly in first team at saints, he is good.I only hope Wenger will give Sunzu a chance.
I can vouch for Mayuka. Loved watching him play for Young Boys Bern. He also showed glimpses of his potential in the last edition of the African Cup of Nations. I’m sure he’ll soon impose himself at Soton, as I trust in Adkins to get the best out of him. A little patience will be needed.
Great read. Thanks for all the information
There are reports currently saying stopilla sunzu has opted to choose Reading over Arsenal. Reason being,reading have guaranteed him a contract and Arsenal only offered a trial. All this is according to local press in Zambia.
Good stuff. We can only hope sunzu the best.
Very interesting reading. I wish such profiles where shared to all. The game of football is interesting if all where knowledgeable.
An excellent article my man! Impressive, will be looking out for more articles from yourself. We do need some african power in the team. Song/Diaby is badly missed especially against the elite teams.
Rumours all over the pace that Sunzu might be joining Reading FC rather than Arsenal in January. There are a few things around saying that as Reading were offering him a deal straight away, rather than trials, he’d be happy to move to Reading.
Personally, I wasn’t sure what to think but having read this I think if he heads over to Reading and gets given the chance he’s exactly the sort of midfielder we’re looking for.
Thanks for writing this.
I only wish Sunzu all the best in his move either to Arsenal or Reading
i just hope and pray they wont bench him in europe, all the best to Sunzu, we love you.