IT has been a season to forget for Dynamos, but their coach Genesis Mangombe says his team’s campaign is not as bad as some make it appear.
The former Yadah gaffer is convinced that they will turn things around in the second half of the season.
DeMbare face off with Highlanders at Rufaro Stadium tomorrow afternoon, looking to kickstart their second round of matches with a win.
A return of five wins, four against newly-promoted sides and struggling GreenFuel, saw Dynamos reach the halfway stage of the season on sixth position on the log standings.
Crucially, the Harare giants have lost three matches in their opening 17 matches, including a 2-1 loss to tomorrow’s opponents, an indication that they are not as bad, according to Mangombe.
The other losses were against log leaders FC Platinum and fourth-placed Simba Bhora, who are also gunning for the title.
“If you look at our performances in the 17 matches, I see some positives. We were the better side in most of the matches, including those which we lost,” Mangombe said.
“Of course, we are disappointed with how things have gone so far, but the team’s performance is something that gives us confidence that things will only get better. We are developing. There are just a few things that need to be corrected, especially our strikeforce.
- Panashe Mutasa comes of age at Tenax FC
- Dynamos back to winning ways
- Ndiraya backs Antonio to impress in Belgium
- Artists struggling to grasp intellectual property rights
Keep Reading
“The moment our strikers start to put the ball into the back of the net, then we will be unstoppable. We have a very good squad that can compete with everyone. We need to stick together and try to improve the results.”
Mangombe revealed that he was in the market for players to reinforce his squad, although he was not at liberty to divulge any names.
His priority in the transfer market is a striker.
“I have submitted my wishlist to the management and now I am waiting for the feedback. As the technical team, we identified the areas that we think need reinforcement so hopefully we will get some of the players that we have recommended,” he said.
Despite the slow start to the season, Dynamos, on 24 points, are just 11 points behind FC Platinum, with the whole second half of the season still to play.
“It is still a long way to go and there is still everything to play for. Nothing has been decided as yet,” he said.
Preparations for the blockbuster clash against Highlanders have not been ideal for Dynamos, with the players downing tools since last week Thursday in protest over unpaid bonuses.
They only returned on Wednesday this week after the management acceded to the players’ demands of paying all the outstanding bonuses for the games they played since the start of the season.
“Everything is now sorted and I expect the players to go out there and give their all. The onus is now on the players to deliver since the management honoured their side of the deal,” Mangombe said.
Highlanders won the reverse fixture at Barbourfields, thus Dynamos are out for revenge in this one.
“Highlanders do not give us much of a problem. Even in the game that we lost against them, it was not a difficult match for us. We played much better than them,” Mangombe said.
“My only worry is that we might be affected by the strike we had. It is a big match and I feel that it will be decided by small margins, but otherwise, I am sure we are going to play better than them.”
Highlanders coach Kelvin Kaindu, whose side has won just once in their last eight matches, does not want to read much into the problems that rocked the Dynamos camp.
Bosso lost 2-0 to Yadah in their last match before the two-week half-season break.
“It makes it very difficult when you are playing a team that has its in-house problems. You may be misled and it may also affect you one way or another, but we don’t know what is happening behind closed doors,” said Kaindu, who will begin life without star player Devine Mhindirira, who joined Pure Platinum Play earlier this week.
“If you look at the magnitude of this game, whether they are training or not, it is a game that everyone wants to come and watch and we are not dwelling much on that [the turmoil at Dynamos]. We just want to focus on this game and remain positive.”
Highlanders have signed Never Rauzhi from Bulawayo Chiefs on a six-month loan deal.
The Dynamos versus Highlanders clash is the pick of the weekend fixtures, which will also see log leaders FC Platinum travelling to Chegutu Pirates tomorrow looking for a win to maintain their place at the top.
Second-placed Manica Diamonds, three points behind the pacesetter, are away to fourth-placed Simba Bhora in what promises to be a cracker of a match.
In-form defending champions Ngezi Platinum Stars, who are third on the log, will be looking for their seventh win in a row when they host Arenel Movers at Baobab this afternoon.
Matchday 18 fixtures
Today: Bikita Minerals v Herentals (Sakubva), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Arenel Movers (Baobab), Simba Bhora v Manica Diamonds (Wadzanai), Bulawayo Chiefs v GreenFuel (Luveve), Yadah v Hwange (Heart)
Tomorrow: Chicken Inn v Caps United (Luveve), Chegutu Pirates v FC Platinum (Baobab), TelOne v Zpc Kariba (Bata), Dynamos v Highlanders (Rufaro)
