8️⃣🦒NANEBORA - 🦒🦒
🇹🇿 NBC U20 Top 8️⃣ 2026 / Abel Josiah Samson (JKT Tanzania)
Nane : 8 ; Bora : The Best
Well, given the success of my MATUMAINI series ; a planned dive in the CAF U17 competition, resulting in an unexpected one in Tanzania’s football structure. Exactly what I didn’t expect.
In order to address my Fear Of Missing Out on yet another fresh but enticing opportunity to procrastinate, I subscribed for $10 to AzamTV broadcasting the NBC Tanzania Premier League after realising that FIFA+/DAZN “only” broadcast the NBC Championship - the 🇹🇿 second division.
I subsequently found out about the NBC U20 Premier League Top 8 Finals 2025-26 broadcasted on AzamTV
Two groups : “Kundi” is “group” in Swahili
Kundi A is Mtibwa Sugar, Young Africans, Mashujaa FC and Mbeya City;
Kundi B is Azam FC, Dodoma Jiji, Simba SC and JKT Tanzania
Top two from each group compete in a knock out format by 1st of July.
A few notes on the Tazanian Michael Olise
So, after googling because I can’t believe what I’m seeing, or rather : I very much can because I do see it and I’m gobsmacked.
Abel Josiah Samson (#47) has a bit of history about him, predictably.
And was the best player at the CAF Football Schools Championship in 2024 that Tanzania won at Zanzibar, and also won it the following year in 2025.
He featured for Tanzania at the CAF U17 2025
Which can only suggest he missed out on the 2026 CAF U17 Tanzania Squad that reached the final, through injury. I will also find out.
He’s in the TFF’s good books, having had a chance to experience a few call-ups with the Senior team already!
Matchday 1
Simba SC vs JKT Tanzania
On the subject of separation movement : if C wants the ball
(Abel Samson #47), he needs to move during the pass from A to B which he does,
Spins whilst backtracking
First touch is immediately positive and diagonal
Facing a double then triple team,
Tries to go through regardless.
I’m writing this because that constitutes an element of benchmarking : where is your winger at, what should he be doing to get to that position consistently.
I wrote about Madueke, I podcasted about Madueke. A big outlet picked my brains about Mudryk and his non-existent separation movement : the movement before receiving.
Lot of it revolved around : finding separation, and getting a diagonal touch which they weren’t doing consistently enough for the level.
Also, Abel’s not playing the ball back after two minutes on the clock which in 2026 somewhat makes him a standout wide player.
Elements to work with :
Application to keep an eye on the fullback and stand half and half
Mourinho’s long standing methodology man Rui Faria has always been vocal about “mental intensity” that has to be periodised during the week (in a gauss curve, peaking midweek to let the brain rest both sides of the game - the idea is that the maximum cognitive load isn’t absolute, it’s relative to the time between two stimulus ; the game being regarded as the highest point in the week).
Scouts look for players who play with “intensity” ; which is the number of actions per given time. Actions as in tangible 1 and 0s but also all the elements of showing you’re actually impacting the environment.
Not just reacting to events. It’s the attention span, and the quantity of processed information
The student taking every note in writing isn’t necessarily the smartest, the one who writes the Premier League lineups by memory in English lessons (well that’s me) can also pick out just what he needs by multitasking.
Relevance of information primes, but being able to handle a cognitive load shows a potential for scalability to the level above.
That, more than “output” on a given day, tells you who can make the step and play. How much action and activity between plays there is.
Poles and intervals, the narrower the interval, the more poles (actions) there is.
That’s also Raymond Verheijen’s framework : work from the physiological demand to get more output per a given time. Every cycle, you add a minute to each drill, then a 8 minute block and so on.
What to look for specifically : the ball reaches the team mate, he’s already moving towards the duel regardless
And organically adapts to the possibility of action with a smart chop.
A young attacker would be forgiven for goal hanging and playing off turnovers and gambling (cannot legally) on his first touch. These are the “turnover machines” who wind up senior players and coaches.
These are the things to develop in training though intense drills : there was a debate the other day when Victor Boniface in his traditional unfiltered way argued that 5v5 is tougher than 11v11.
Obviously, from a football standpoint ; 11v11 90’ full pitch vs 5v5 on two penalty boxes for chunks of 4-6 minutes with good players and all.
5v5 is a good truther because it requires the whole range of actions, but also demands intensity since there’s no hiding place.
Players will call themselves out for pulling out of challenges, taking the extra touch rather than take the shot, and chickening out of blocking them.
From Abel’s TikTok : succession of 1v1s with time constraints, consecutive footballs - play as long as the ball is live within the area. Check how many changes of direction, combined actions requiring strength to shield but also create a yard and shoot.
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Then : carry diagonally.
Diagonal carry for straight pass (you want), straight carry for diagonal pass (you don’t really want because it’s predictable or only going to trouble the corner flag)
Also because it’s a nightmare to press for a defender : what’s the closing down angle considering he’s taking that angle to then twist his hips and cut.
That’s what “playing at different angles” on a scouting report means.
Do you play on a railtrack, can you change direction on the ball, and can you actually do with an idea in mind within the same play. The idea isn’t “I’m gonna change direction”, it’s : “can I be believable enough so that I change the environment and create a possibility for action”.
Michael Olise always looks like he’s got more time than everyone on the pitch : he’s always receiving diagonally, always at an angle with space in front.
Late 2020, I decided to watch Reading because of Veljko Paunovic and Michael Olise.
It even led me to go back to blogging in December 2020.
Why that game in particular?
No flex, but Paunovic did the same gameplan (simultaneous emergence of ideas) I used at National U19 league to win 4-0 at the French Champions the month before vs Angers. A 442 diamond with strikers pressing “out to in”
One of the plays was one of the many accelerations Olise (who was lecturing senior pros at 18, where to stand what to do and taking things in charge). And well, linking up with all sort of attackers. Albert Adomah, Ovie Ejaria, Lucas Joao (no one found the correlation with his 20-goal season and Michael Olise)
Back to Abel Samson : the weight of the pass is spot on, and top level here, it’s not frequent that powerful players nail the weight of pass. That’s what made Essien special back in the time.
That’s the follow up that made me think ; who are you
How do you call that? Inverted underlap lending pass? Or good player finding solutions.
Nabbing the ball off his weak foot
Exploding off the touch
When Lampard took over Chelsea in 2009, his friendly games tour was : Bohemians (where a 14 year old Evan Ferguson came on) and Reading where a 17 year old Michael Olise was benchmarked against his side. The industry talks. I miss looking up to my club driven by knowledgeable experts, therefore having a chance to find out real connections and not the ones you wish you didn’t know about because they’re glaringly obvious.
That’s not storytelling. Chelsea never played these pre-season tours in the modern era, always got to South East and whatnot.
Bohemians and Reading. Lampard knows the game.
What I didn’t miss at the time was how athletic Michael Olise was, to repeat high intensity sprints, get away from pressure and being on the move all the time.
He started 43 games in Championship at 19, which is the most demanding league in the world. A trench war of 3 games per week.
I get the same hint with Abel : hovering above the pitch,
It’s amusing to see Michael Olise now being the player who ran the most distance at high intensity at the World Cup 2026 : prepared by Simon Brundish
Things people who watched him at Reading knew when he was doing things like scoring from kick off at Blackburn and whatnot.
Changing gear at wish depending on what the opportunity presents marks the difference between players who chase their touch to keep it together, and flair players - who can also be athletic as a complement.
Because from a movement standpoint it comes down to motor control, ability to decelerate, maintain stance dynamically, fire their muscular groups quickly without parasite movements.
I’m making the stretch on purpose here : because whilst I think scouting processes rightfully cluster the big picture in terms of scalability from one league to another. This is the equivalent league, and being a good player in one equals to being an average player in that one and so on.
But I’m also adamant room needs to be kept when a player can perform actions that would also make differences on a pitch of the same dimensions, just at a higher level. The outlier is the one you’re looking for ; rather than acknowledging that the bulk of the talent pool is playing where they should be.
As I realise more and more than projecting 6-8 months into a players’ career isn’t that obvious for many people, or charting a development plan. One of my longstanding aims is to refine empirical observation, so that it’s not comfirmation biais but actionable “I’ve see you do this there, you can do it at that level”
Second ball
Another “bait” slowing down, wait for the defender to lunge (feet up in the air to kind of sort his footwork)
and scoop it out of pressure. I’ve been curiously amused about the fouls and the refereeing in the Play Offs. There’s a lot of blatant fouls, which are all called and players get on with it. In the sense that there’s not much grey area “will he call it”.
That being said Abel stays on his feet
The other thing when players can get around the pitch, is to let the ball roll and delay contact so that the defender can’t guess - and when he goes for it the ball is already shifted out
There’s two marginal touches here before the ball is scooped over the defenders’ leg : these are the things Olise does too.
For a double acceleration
And enough gas in the tank to whip a cross, something he’s done repeatedly in the tournament off his right or left.
Some of the fouls (19th) oh lord, just getting wiped out
This is obviously a sensible subject to touch on :
No one actively asks for players to be kicked in training, for obvious reasons.
But the reality of top level sport, seen with Ballon d’Or talents Cristano Ronaldo and Michael Olise at United or Reading, is that “tough love” : as in “we won’t watch you get that football first” coupled with refereing that is both fair and avoiding “charity fouls” contributed to the development of footballers.
We’re not talking head scout’s nephew on work experience, but very much “best in class” resilient player willing to keep being challenged.
With Abel I see : “bring on more” getting back up on his feet, rather than ask for a substitution (which he would be entitled to, so would the coaches to not play him).
There’s no advocacy for turning games into a “free for all” : not calling obvious fouls annoys players, just like cheap fouls.
I’ve had the privilege / expertise to train professional players. Zero content value here : they hate cheap fouls like a fair shoulder-shoulder, but will cuss you if you don’t stop play for a shirt pull and unsportsmanlike behaviour. Attention it requires means you’re not stopping drills to listen to yourself thinking inverted fullbacks would look really good on your LinkedIn reel.
Fouls don’t mean a leg breaker. A trailing arm positioned before, so that the player makes contact with it isn’t a foul since the players kinda jumps onto it (and the arm doesn’t).
It’s also annoying because asks players to contract muscles a tad more to handle it. Or twist in a way that they don’t get hit.
One of the most effective nuggets to improve players (I’m giving this out because it won’t be read otherwise) is to play a variation of flag / tag football with touch constraints. They’ll dodge challenges off their first touch and find separation when peeling off after a set.
Not this : but when you know the defender will be a nuisance with arms on the way, can you anticipate it and either release it quickly or take your touch in the open space.
This is the standout play of the first half
If the pass is behind you, backtrack and receive back foot with space in front
Then you can see the difference maker : electric attackers who move about, you’ll find them. Ones who are driven to light up from range, will get places
The phases of the “instep kick” in two and 3D are shown in Janani’s research
Janani, G. et al. (2023) 'Biomechanical Factors Influencing Post-strike Ball Velocity in Football Players: A Cross-sectional Study', Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 17(11), pp. KC10–KC14.
The Run-up is about gathering speed, to load the run
The Approach aims at attacking the ball at an angle, so you can open your hips
The Backswing is when the planted foot stabs the ground, and the trunk starts against the hip a the kicking legs extends
The Cocking is the hip dragged back, and the opposite shoulder thrown the other way to create a tension arc
The Acceleration is the firing, to snap back towards the ball with energy goig from proximal to distal (hip, thigh, shin, laces). The leg accelerates through the ball
The Follow Through give the direction to the ball from observation. Top of the foot, laces, slightly outside with the toes staying in the intended direction.
See here : peeling off backwards like me circling back to 2020 like my world then didn’t crumble like a digestive biscuit.
quick glance to align with the goal post
I have so much time for players who handle bouncing passes in a creative way, Abel Samson does a lot of scoops, chops. This one makes the ball bounce, it’s “create your own rebound” I often write about.
Lands even more when I tell war stories about Isidor in training, now he scored the Goal of the World Cup.
Land the support foot next to the ball, leg accelerates to connect
Perfect follow through, destined to the top (that’s Michael Olise) corner (that’s the shot). Taking the net off, which I wish Chelsea did more often by the way. (taking Neto off, that is).
After a powerful run-up, the leg swing accelerates. When measured, that’s the difference between experts and non experts.
Shan and Zhang report that prestrike foot velocity (r=0.58) and years of training (r=0.48) explain 39% of the variance.
The speed of execution of the “whip-like movement of the kicking leg” is benchmarked for a national german athlete in Kollath’s research in 1983
Kollath E: Analyse des Innenspannstoßes aus biomechanischer Sicht.
Fußballtraining 1983, 2(5):15-20.
From :
Shortly before half time, Abel Samson had a chance on the free kick :
You can see the clear difference when the benchmarks aren’t hit and the leg doesn’t accelerate substantively
I also liked this one :
Off a recovery, just play the most advanced player
Jazzmen play off beat to generate momentum and expectation.
Doing -touch-run-touch-run allows the defender to lock in
That smaller touch contributes to leaving the midfielder (in the centre circle) guessing : that’s what you look at for DMs, do they time their movement and are they ever looking like sitting ducks.
Shift/pass with a change of gear shows an understanding of tempo to take defenders off guard.
I’m so beyond the brainrot to think playing at metronomic pace is “controlling the tempo” - the one of the left plays on your nerves with the tempo. The one on the right toys with it and plays in between the beats. Turns out they don’t have the exact shade of blue either.
JKT Tanzania came back into the game with Samson creating a play leading to a penalty
Some more double acceleration, with a weak foot cross lurking in
So, let’s do a bit of digging up
Tanzania won the CAF African School Football Championship in 2024 and 2025
one of CAF’s flagship youth program carrying a substantial structural legacy :
Saddam Hussein Hamis won the CAF African School Football Championship with Tanzania in 2025
Abel Josiah Samson managed the feat to win the 2024 and 2025 editions :
Abel was voted the best player in the 2024 edition ;
Tanzania won the first of their back to back competitions in 2024, at home in Zanzibar.
On the left, the 2024 final vs Guinea, the lineup vs Guinea (2024) and on the right, the 2025 lowdown for the final won on penalties vs Senegal.
In the 2024 final vs Guinea, Abel was #7
Stuff you’d already see : backtracking to find separation
Diagonal touch
Scoop to shift the ball against the defender’s angle
Contorsion to readjust the support foot, jump in the right location
First effort hitting the angle of the crossbar
But also : already not half bad on the ball, making runs off the ball
Diagonal touch :
Could’ve shifted the ball towards his left a but more to hit the front post
By opening his hips more to have a bigger angle with the goal
Shooting across one’s body is made more difficult if the angle isn’t big enough, the hip will pivot and the shot will end off target.
If you take a run in straight at the ball, the ball will likely end up drawn to the opposite side of the shooting leg : a right footer will skew a shot to his left.
So in order to generate power and shoot on target towards the corner of the goal, it’s better to appoach the ball at an angle
Creative play : the “bait” already mentioned,
Scoop at hand height is cheeky, works in the penalty area. Shoot between the legs to get deflected shots, scoop the ball at hand level. Long throw that bounce in the 6 yard box. These are all the known achille heel / cheat code types of rebounds
If anyone remembers Eden Hazard vs Liverpool
A celebration worth receiving imaginary yellow cards for (since these two consecutive Newsletters series are the longest I’ve ever spent without dunking on anyone)
Spitballing the things I noticed in the 2024 CAF
37% possession to nab a 1-0 win off a set piece with 3 shots (in 2x40’)
Might as well, JUMP
The coach Elieneza Nsanganzelu is the one who led Tanzania to the CAF African School Football Championship two years later in 2026.
Taking his medal from Patrice Motsepe, the powerful CAF President.Kassim Juma (shaking hands) captained the CAF U17 finalist side in 2026 ; did not appear in the 2025 final after the 2024 final because he played the CAF U17 2025. Born in June 2009, provably wasn’t eligible (I believe it’s a U15 tournament) Issa Mussa Chole in 2010, Abel Josiah Samson in 2010 and Hamis 2011 were still eligible in 2025
The CAF website reads that Abel Samson was voted Player of the Tournament for the boys competition
The side landed a 300 grand prize money
on the 2025 CAF School Football Championship, edition, there’s a sequence where Issa Mussa Chole wins a second ball, find Hamis who links up with Samson who kicks past and fires a right footed cross
Valuable footage to grasp that no one ever “lands” at the level, there’s always signs of comparable output.
Tanzania and Uganda both qualified for the 2025 AFCON via the CECAFA qualiiers, but Uganda won the bragging rights with a 2-1 win
Abel Samson scored Tanzania’s opener before Bogere scored a brace, including a last minute winner
The CAF U17 2025 finals was challenging for Tanzania who didn’t log in a point, and lost on opening to James Bogere’s Uganda
They featured Samson with the #26 wide, Juma at left back (albeit the TV chart says otherwise). In the stands, I can see Mbelegendi and Hamis, in the extended squad or in the squad and not matchday squad.
Me, an intellectual, decided I wouldn’t bother much with that game since it was 3-0 with a sending off. That’s alright, one year later I wrote about three players on the pitch.
I won’t bother with the full play by play, but there was some good bits
Abel Samson (8 on the photo above) seems to be on the Federation’s good books : Part of the FIFA supported TFF’s Talent Development Squad U15, but playing with the U17s in 2023-24
Despite being on JKT Tanzania’s books (and training/playing with their Academy teams), that’s the not very important thing I wanted to figure out : in France, Pole Espoir players play on week ends for their club, but train at one of FFF’s 14 Pole Espoir.
Looks like it’s the same in Tanzania, albeit some players are registered as “TFF TDS”
Abel Samson was then called up with Tanzania’s Senior squad ahead of a friendly game vs Indonesia in June 2024
And featured vs Indonesia in June 2024
And got a bit of a feature on an Indonesian outlet ; noting they played against a 14 year old.
Abel Samson was called up again in the provisional squad the 2025 AFCON in Morroco
But however didn’t make the 28-man squad team
A player I coached against when he was 15, for his first game back in France, straight into U19 National League. Word was that he trialled one day and they signed him the second day. No one could get anywhere near Mohamed Ali Cho, the youngest 2004-born pro to play a top flight game.
3v1 he’d still slide the pass between the players, and explode off the dribble. He was in front of my bench and I was questioning if I had a low ping (the refreshment rate on the screen) or if he was actually able to change direction like that.
Abel Samson will turn 16 in November (04/11/2010).
Some will create an elephant in the room of suggestions, which they could legally not get away with elsewhere.
No one could get anywhere near 15-16 year old Nkunku playing 4th tier Football either. Get on with or play better, the game teaches you your level.
16 year old Etienne Camara played as well, and now he signed a long term contract for Panathinaikos and will also play UEFA Europa League. His ability to figure out the space outside of the defensive shape was what struck me
We drew 1-1 that game, and whilst I often mention that none of these players (Abline, Bakwa, Cho etc…) score against my side, Cho did actually assist their goal by volleying back an overhit corner for a tap in at the back post which was unexpected, and a thing that made me think “damn” because 99% of the time that corner goes out.
Fwiw ; Cho was more explosive than Abel Samson. Like absurdly, but I saw it with my own eyes yards away from my dugout.
Don’t think Cho had the same feel for the game than Saddam Hammis who does a bit more off his first touch, whilst I rate Abel Samson’s weight of pass and use of both feet on top of a solid athletic base.
What I think : there’s a few breakdowns of actions in there that show repeatable actionable quality. There’s also elements “in between” actions that suggest the player will be fueled by the ablility to show it against better players. Handling challenges, fouls and racking up second balls.
I’m particularly interested in the mix between feel for the game (the right timing and weight), game understanding (the right solution) an athleticism to explode off the dribble, change direction and land double acceleration on defenders already struggling to stay in the duel.
Olise, Cho, Hamis and Samson is quite the wide scope of players at close but different stages of their career so far. All explosive left footed attackers who can shoot and pass, which is a significant line I draw between them and players who run, or take on people with no end product. Valuabe too, but different.
Cho was always gonna make a career due to his freakish athleticism, but kind of stalled since his debut where he got a defender sent off (Angers, Real Sociedad, OGC Nice).
Samson, like Chole (with a bit of tidying up), Mbelegendi are four Tanzanian players that would look good squad players in a Category 1 academy in England / France ; therefore regular starter material in Belgium, Denmark, Ligue 2 etc…
Ra’ees is another one I wrote about in the powerful left footed CM / winger type. Was on long trial from Tooting & Mitcham, signed for Millwall U21s at the end of 2024. I saw him twice, wrote about him (I know at least one person read the article) and eventually scored some crazy goals, and became England U19 International
Ra'ees Bangura-Williams - Millwall U21s
Attackers who slip through the academy scouting net are always intriguing to follow, when they eventually earn their ticket into the train. It’s as much a challenge revolving around refining raw skills and ability, than it is one to maintain that different thinking and perspective that brought them here in the first place.