CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League clubs believe the extended break, necessitated by the Warriors’ participation in the African Nations Championships (Chan), will break their rhythm.
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There are 12 league matches to play, in addition to the semi-finals and final of the BancABC Sup8r and Mbada Diamonds Cup. Highlanders head coach Kelvin Kaindu said the inactivity would allow his players to break, but at the same time will kill the momentum of the competition.
“We will try to get a friendly match during the break. Of course, the players rest during the break, but it kills the momentum of the game. But it is also important that we should honour national duty,” Kaindu said.
“However, breaks make it difficult to plan because you don’t know when you are playing and players lose game fitness. At the same time it also gives an advantage as we have new players coming in.
“It helps them to gel in and have cohesion with the rest of the players. It also gives them time to learn the philosophy of the club,” the Zambian mentor added.
Highlanders have brought in three players — Master Masitara, Tinashe Chipunza and Gabriel Nyoni — during the mid-season transfer window period and have four players with the national team — goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya, Peter “Rio” Moyo, Milton Ncube and Masimba Mambare.
League pacesetters Harare City’s Bigboy Mawiwi said the break was a blessing in disguise as pressure was mounting on them. “The break is welcome for our players to regenerate and prepare well.
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“However, to come back and be told on the 11th hour that the games have been cancelled becomes difficult for players’ mindset. “Right now we don’t know when we will be playing. Be that as it may, the break has given the players that had picked up injuries time to recover and the unnecessary pressure on us has died down,” Mawiwi added.
Dynamos manager Richard Chihoro thinks the breaks have come in handy for the Glamour Boys. “We have managed to register four players during the break. We have brought in (Benjamin) Marere, (Oscar) Machapa, (Milton) Makopa and Victor (Kamhuka) and the break has given time to the players to gel and we had quite a number of injuries and several of our players have recovered during the break,” Chihoro said.
Chicken Inn head coach Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu, who has leading scorer Tendai Ndoro, skipper Felix Chindungwe and midfielder Danny “Deco” Phiri in the national team, said the break was disruptive.
“It is very disturbing. I have got three players in the national team and as we train, how do you work on combinations? “It is a very tricky situation, but we have been training as usual. We have been working with the guys available in terms of match fitness and we will have to soldier on,” Mpofu said.
Midfielder Kuda Mahachi and striker Mkhokheli Dube joined the rest of the team after going for trials in South Africa. Chicken Inn have also brought in Clement Matawu, Dylan Chivandire and welcome back Evans Chikwaikwai from injury. Caps United assistant coach Brenna Msiska said the break was good for the Warriors, but has been a blow to the Green Machine who had picked up form.
“It could be a blow, but we can still make it since we have been preparing hard. It’s good for the Warriors as they are coming up with a good team. We were on top of our game and we may drop at this point, but the other positive thing is that players who were injured have time to heal,” Msiska said.
Relegation-threatened Tripple B head coach Peter Manoti said: “It is in two ways — in terms of preparation you have adequate time, but you are severely affected in terms of match fitness.
“We are looking forward to play a friendly match before the league resumes,” Manoti said. Tripple B brought into their ranks seven players Julius Daudi and Dion Homela from Chicken Inn, Makai Kawashu, Blessing Mazorodze, Forward Makambanga, Shepherd Sithole and Obey Hunduza.
