DESPITE suffering a 3-0 loss to Esperance in a friendly match, Azam coach Youssouph Dabo insisted that he was impressed with the performance of his charges.
Staged on Thursday evening in Sousse, Tunisia, the game was Azam's second preseason match as they intensify drills to create a competitive squad for the 2023/24 season.
Their first match against Al Hilal of Sudan, saw the Chamazi-based side cherish a 3-0 victory thanks to goals netted by Cheikh Sidibe, Prince Dube and Alasane Diao.
"Of course, it was a tough match and the most important thing for us was on how we approached the game regardless of the output...I am satisfied with what I have seen from my players," said the Senegalese trainer.
So far, Azam are the only Premier League team to have played two international friendly matches in the ongoing preseason campaign.
For Simba who are camping in Turkey, they are yet to test their newly acquired arsenals though they already declared that they will thrive to play at least three friendly duels before returning back home.
On the other hand, Young Africans are pegged to play their first signal-testing match versus Kaizer Chiefs at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam tomorrow as they climax the club's Wiki ya Mwananchi festival.
Other premier league teams have opted to prepare for next season in silence with most of them concentrating much on team-building exercises no wonder the domestic player transfer market is very active.
However, upon returning home, Azam's first domestic assignment will be against Young Africans in the newly established min-tournament semifinal match of the Community Shield at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga.
The tense game is scheduled on July 9th and the winner will progress into the final to face either Simba or Singida Fountain Gate FC which interface in another semis a day later.
This will be the major test for the Azam tactician who has been tasked to bring titles to the Chamazi-based club where they have been suffering from title drought for a long time.
As such, it all remains a crossword puzzle if they will be able to make the most of next season in both domestic and international matches though pundits predict that they are well placed to achieve a lot in the upcoming season based on the signings they have made.
