Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Petros Kausiyo
5 January 2009
Harare — WARRIORS coach Sunday Chidzambwa belie-ves his charges still have a lot to improve on before they can become a competitive unit and has asked Zifa to arrange an early training camp ahead of the African Nations Championships in Cote d'Ivoire next month.
The Warriors returned home at the weekend from a week-long training camp in Yemen, which Chidzambwa described as having been fruitful and revealing.
Zimbabwe played two international matches against the Middle East country in Sanaa losing once (0-1) and winning the second match by an identical margin.
Soccer Star of the Year Evans Chikwaikwai struck the Warriors' winner in the second match between the two sides.
Veteran coach Chidzambwa, who saw his charges post a 3-0 aggregate victory over old enemies South Africa in the Nations Championships final qualifying round, wants the Warriors to regroup by January 20 to resume the last leg of their preparations for the tournament.
The Nations Championships will burst into life in Abidjan on February 22 with the opening match between hosts Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia.
The Warriors, who are in Group B and will be based in Cote d'Ivoire's second largest city Bouake, will get their campaign underway with a tough showdown against the Black Stars of Ghana on February 23.
Zimbabwe will also face the Democratic Republic of Congo and North African outfit Libya in a draw which Chidzambwa reckoned was fair and open.
"Everyone has a chance to win the tournament because we will be using local players and that means teams like Cote d'Ivoire will be using players drawn from clubs like ASEC (Mimosas) who played in the Champions League against Dynamos.
"I noticed that they are tipping Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire to win it, but I don't think there is really any team that you can say is the weakest at this tournament . . . there could be major surprises because it is actually anybody's game.
"I am comfortable with the fact that we will go there being rated as one of the underdogs. It takes the pressure off us," Chidzambwa said.
But after kick-starting their preparations with the trip to Yemen, Chidzambwa yesterday reflected on the training camp in the Gulf state which he said had exposed the need to work on all departments in his squad, particularly the attack.
Chidzambwa said he was confident that with a longer training camp, his Warriors side, drawn from only the players plying their trade in the domestic league, would gel into the competitive force that he wants them to be.
"I think the training camp was alright. We had a problem with the pitch in the first game because it was bumpy and the players struggled to adjust, especially in the first half of the match.
"We improved in the second half, but we still did not create full chances and we failed to put away the half chances that came our way. I felt we also conceded a silly goal because our defenders were too slow to react to a through ball and allowed a striker to get to the ball first.
"I will not complain much if a striker dribbles past your defenders and scores, but not when defenders are badly positioned and are also too slow to react," said Chidzambwa.
He was, however, happy with the Warriors' overall showing in the second game in which he noted a "huge improvement".
"We actually controlled the second game from the start to the finish and there was a huge improvement.
"They (Yemen) finished the game with 10 men and with a bit more precision we should have punished them and scored more goals."
Chidzambwa also lauded Chikwaikwai for his winner.
"Evans' goal was very well taken. He took it from about 25 metres out and he volleyed from an acute angle. At first, I thought he was going to cross the ball when he scored it. It was a wonderful strike and it has been a long time since I have seen such a goal from a local player."
He also offered his thoughts on the quality of the opposition they faced in Yemen.
"There are no more small teams in the world. They (Yemen) have a good team, they are under the guidance of an Egyptian coach and there is a strong Egyptian influence in their football.
"They were actually camped in Cairo for two weeks and now they are going to play in the Gulf Cup. They have the money from the oil and they are keeping on developing.
"They have also benefited from luring some of the top players from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan who have taken Yemen citizenship and are now playing for their national team"
The veteran coach, who took with him 17 players on the trip, said he had given all the players a chance to start each of the matches, a move which gave such players as rangy Lengthens striker Tendai "DJ Malaika" Nyamadzawo his first start for the Warriors forward.
Chidzambwa said Nyamadzawo's aggressive style had given the Yemen defenders a tough time while the combination of the pair of bustling Monomotapa forward Edmore Chitato and Chikwaikwai had also impressed the coach.
The Dynamos director of coaching also said it was imperative that he got more time to assess the local players before he names his final squad for the Nations Championships.
"Because we wanted to assess everyone in the squad that travelled, some of those who got a chance to start in the first game started on the bench in the second match. But everyone in the 17-man squad got a chance to start a match, which is important when you are still building a team."
Chidzambwa also said he drew satisfaction from the fact that some of the players, who are working under him for the first time, were fast adjusting to his style of play.
"I think there is an improvement in their understanding of what we want. For instance, some of these players are used to a 4-4-2 formation at their clubs and we use a 3-5-2 formation. Basically, we have to work hard on all areas, especially the combinations upfront. I think with a bit of time we can come good and that is why we have sent out a proposal to Zifa to have the camp start on 20 January.
"We would also be happy if we could get at least another international friendly before we leave for Cote d'Ivoire".
Chidzambwa, however, faces a dilemma in that player movement could interrupt his team's preparations, as some of the targeted players could be eyeing moves into professional leagues elsewhere.
One such player is Dynamos striker Edward Sadomba, who is set to join South African Premiership side Bidvest Wits and will not be eligible for the CHAN tournament once he completes his move.
CAPS United utility player Method Mwanjali is also targeting a move to South Africa as is Motor Action talisman Clemence Matawu while Dynamos midfielder Justice Majabvi left for Austria on Saturday for a month-long trial stint.
Chidzambwa acknowledged that there was an urgent need to establish which players would not be available before he assembles his squad for the tournament.
"We need to know quicker than soon which players are moving to leagues outside the country because that would mean they will not be eligible for this competition.
"Although we are off-season here, we are lucky in that the 2008 season ended late in December, which means there is not going to be a long break if we manage to start our camp by 20 January."
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