Former Warriors assistant coach Tonderai Ndiraya has lashed out at Tino Kadewere's bash brigade, whose criticism of the France-based striker is seemingly pushing him towards quitting international football.
The 28-year-old is one of the senior players retained in the 23-member squad named by Warriors interim coach Jairos Tapera for the back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and South Africa this week.
Zimbabwe "host" Lesotho on Friday at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg before they travel to Bloemfontein to face South Africa four days later.
A section of the fans have used social media to question the inclusion of Kadewere in the senior men's national squad, pointing out at his poor goals record for the Warriors.
But Ndiraya feels that the criticism of the Nantes forward is unjustified, highlighting the other important aspects that Kadewere brings to the Warriors table.
"How old is Tino that people can start talking about his retirement? He should play on. Why should he quit? Being a striker is not all about scoring goals. "There are other qualities that coaches look at. It can't be a coincidence that successive Warriors coaches continue to call him. Can we say all those coaches don't know what they are doing?" Ndiraya queried.
Kadewere has endured a frustrating international career, scoring three goals from 19 appearances for Zimbabwe since his debut back in 2015.
Ndiraya implored fans not to only look at Kadewere's goals record, but to appreciate other qualities.
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"Tino plays in one of the best leagues in the world, and you don't just walk into the teams that he has played for. You can't reach those levels if you are not good enough. Him playing there means there is something special in him that made those top European teams sign him. Of course, he hasn't scored enough for the national team as we would have all expected, but he is also good at other things. He plays so many roles in the team. He is not just a top man, but can also play behind a target man. If I recall in Malawi recently, coach Norman Mapeza gave him a different role. "He was behind the top man. He is very good at holding up play, is good at creating space for others and is excellent in assisting. So apart from scoring, there are other special qualities in him that coaches value. Particularly in creating spaces for his teammates, he is an expert in that.
"Many strikers do not have those qualities, and often wait just to put the ball behind the nets. Most of them cannot hold up play, but are very clinical in front of goal, so they will need someone like Tino to do the dirty work for them. For you to attack, you need someone to hold up play upfront, and Tino is very good at that."
The Simba Bhora coach, who has worked with Kadewere at junior national team level, equated the strikers' contribution to the team to what former Warriors striker Benjani Mwaruwari used to do for the clubs he played for in Europe. He said France star Olivier Giroud plays the same role for his national team.
"People might say whatever they want on social media, but for me personally, and I'm sure I share the same sentiments with most coaches, Tino is a very important member of the Warriors team. Benjani (Mwaruwari) was not a prolific goalscorer, he is a good example. But he had those qualities, which I have mentioned. "Even during his time in England where he played for top teams, including Machester City, he was not a goalscorer, but he made things happen. He made sure his team got into the offensive zone and be able to create chances for others to score. Tino can play that role very well. Can we really say Benjani was a good goalscorer? He wasn't, but why was he loved so much by all those top teams? It was because of those qualities. Scoring is not just the responsibility of the strikers. When you hold up play in the offensive third, anyone can then score.
"When you create chances, like Olivier Giroud, another good example, others will definitely score. But people are looking at him individually, his input as an indvidual player, and not as a team. Goalscoring is just part of a whole, there are other responsibilities and qualities that coaches look for in morden strikers."
Following incessant criticism from some supporters, Kadewere yesterday hinted at quitting the Warriors.
He posted on his social media a picture of him in national team colours with a caption, "The last dance."
Kadewere is one of the 23 players expected to group in South Africa today preparing for the Friday match.
