Despite Elie Mpanzu appearing to lose his place in Simba’s starting lineup following the arrival of Anicet Oura and Libasse Gueye, the team’s head coach Steve Barker has made it clear that he still has strong faith in the Congolese player, while also explaining why he has been starting him on the bench.
Mpanzu, who has recently been coming on mostly as a substitute, has continued to show his importance to the team. He recently scored the winning goal in Simba’s 2–1 victory over Singida Black Stars in a Mainland Premier League match played on March 11, 2026.
The last time Mpanzu started in Simba’s first eleven was on February 14, 2026, in a match against Stade Malien that concluded the group stage of the CAF Champions League. In that match, Mpanzu played for 70 minutes before being substituted.
Since then, Mpanzu has mostly been starting from the bench while receiving limited playing time.
He came on as a substitute in matches against Tanzania Prisons, Dodoma Jiji, and Singida Black Stars, and also appeared from the bench in the Kariakoo Derby against Yanga.
Overall, across those four matches, Mpanzu has played a total of 63 minutes out of a possible 360 minutes. However, the limited playing time did not stop him from making an impact after scoring the winning goal against Singida Black Stars.
The goal prompted coach Barker to speak about him, explaining that he remains an important part of the team’s plans despite strong competition in the attacking department.
Barker said that every player in the Simba squad is important, and decisions about who starts or sits on the bench are mainly based on the technical demands of each match.
“He is part of our squad, so any player who is at Simba is important. That is why Mpanzu is still with us. Playing or not playing is a technical decision, but he is an important player and I have plans for him,” said Barker.
The coach added that Mpanzu’s quality is still needed within the team, emphasizing that the competition in the attacking line is the main reason some players do not get more playing time.
The goal he scored against Singida Black Stars was his second in this season’s Mainland Premier League and helped Simba reach 27 points in the league standings, placing them fourth.
