The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
IT has been a disastrous quest to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup for the Zimbabwe Warriors which started off with that 1-0 first round defeat away to Somalia in September 2019.
The Warriors, then coached by Joey Antipas turned things around with a 3-1 triumph over the East Africans at home to make it to the World Cup Qualifiers where they were drawn to play against Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa.
Antipas was replaced by Croatian Zdravko Logarusic who took charge of two of Zimbabwe’s matches. Logarusic drew 0-0 against South Africa before losing 1-0 away to Ethiopia and by then Zimbabweans had run out of patience with his excuses, with the Zimbabwe Football Association Board responding by showing him the exit in September.
Norman Mapeza, who has a had a number of stints with the Warriors was entrusted with overseeing the remaining four matches. Under Mapeza, the Warriors have suffered three defeats, the latest coming against South Africa at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg last Thursday. It was the fourth loss for Zimbabwe in the five matches they have played so far.
Zimbabwe go out searching for their first win when they take in Ethiopia in their final at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon. From the way Mapeza spoke to the media after the team’s training yesterday at the match venue, all is pointing to some changes from the team that lost to Bafana Bafana last Thursday.
“We just wanted to work once again on some combinations like I’ve been doing before, we need to give some other guys a chance to play football again tomorrow (today), so that’s what we’ve been doing much just for them to get accustomed to what we want to do. It’s all about combinations, if you are going to have two changes maybe in defence we need to see how they are going to operate in terms of what we want to do, so that’s what we’ve been doing here (at training). We are also working on set pieces, defending and attacking set pieces,’’ said Mapeza.
There should be no change in approach from the way Zimbabwe went about their business against South Africa and Mapeza expects the players brought in to easily adjust.
“We are using the same system which we used against South Africa and when explaining again what we wanted to do against South Africa I am sure most of the guys were listening because we cannot talk of one team and other guys are not listening so when we convey the message it’s for everybody to listen,’’ he said.
All is pointing to a change in goals with Petros Mhari, whose heroics in between the sticks guaranteed Zimbabwe of a slender defeat , making way for Taimon Mvula. Godknows Murwira should take Gilroy Chimwemwe’s place on the right side of defence while Alec Mudimu, who missed Thursday’s match through suspension could partner Gerald Takwara in central defence with Bruce Kangwa, one of the outstanding players in Thursday’s match to keep his place in the left side of the rear-guard.
Kelvin Madzongwe, Thabani Kamusoko and Khama Billiat should dictate things in the middle of the park. Ishmael Wadi and Kudakwashe Mahachi are expected to deliver in crosses into the box on the wings with Scotland based David Moyo to be once again assigned the duty of leading Zimbabwe’s attack.
Mapeza has been trying to instil a new culture in the team which would bring the players together. One of the requirements is for players to leave their mobile phones in their rooms when they go for training and for meals.
“We are dealing with players who are coming from different cultures here, we’ve got guys who are coming from England, at the end of the day you have seen that I don’t want to see guys carrying cell phones coming for training because they need to interact in the bus.
“Bill Antonio wants to know how Galloway is doing in England but if someone is on his phone how are they going to interact? So that’s the team bonding we are trying to bring in. It’s working and at the end of the day that’s what we need in a team, that’s very important, for them to understand each other,’’ Mapeza said.
With the team still winless, Mapeza said there was pressure and they were going out aiming for victory against Ethiopia.
“I am also disappointed like anybody, we’ve been playing football and if you don’t win, people, they keep reminding you of not winning, you put yourself under so much pressure. This is now a building phase, when you are building something, there must be a foundation at the end of the day. We are not finishing a house which was on the window level, we are starting from the foundation. Definitely we need to push for a win tomorrow,’’ he said.
The coach is looking for improvements in all departments against Ethiopia.
“We cannot only concentrate on one department, we defended well, although South Africa had few half chances, then in midfield we also need to fix one or two things. Forward as well, we had some half chances which I thought if we had taken those few chances maybe we could have drawn the game, or we could have won the game.
“So, when working with the team you don’t only concentrate on one department because they must be complementation of all departments, that is from the defence, midfield going forward so we have been working collectively with all departments,’’ Mapeza said.
Ethiopia held Ghana to a 1-1 at a neutral Orlando Stadium in South Africa last Thursday and will head into the encounter against Zimbabwe with lots of confidence.
— @Mdawini_29
