Deutscher Turn und Sportverein (DTS) went all out this past weekend when they thrashed Dama Soccer Academy 4 - 1 at the Trustco football field in their group A encounter.
The boys were in much better form than in their previous match, which only earned them a point in a 0-0 draw against Baller Boys the previous weekend.
Coach Ricardo Hifitikeko from DTS was pleased with his charges' performance this time around, attributing the win to careful planning and training during the week.
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"There was a better display of individual skills today, and the tactical awareness to apply what we do on the training ground. We don't want to win what we're preparing for and what we're preparing for, in terms of how you should play your game module," he said.
Hifitikeko feels the game model should not come at the expense of winning, for which he believes it was better on the day. "We would not know how your opponents set up tactically, so you would have to study the game in the first 10-15 minutes; other than that, we started off with the way we prepared. Our full backs are always up on the forefront, shifting to where the ball is, always creating situations where it should be 50/50 when we are pressing, but all in all, our boys did well," he ended.
Dama SA, on the other hand, were caught napping and took their focus off their style of play as complacency started to creep into the camp, as they have been second on the log of the group for quite a while. Coach Waka Katuamba felt that his boys did not come to the party at all, given that his players do not attend training during the week. "The boys have been second on the log table for a very long time, so it's more that they are very relaxed and not pitching up for training," he said.
Waka Katuamba feels that all this affects their way of play on the field because of the mindset they have adopted. "It's our first match to lose with such a scoreline for the season; we can't go on like this. Last season, we ended up in the semi-finals, and we lost here at the same ground against Ramblers. So, we have to change the mindset; every player has to be called out for their mistakes. We have to fix it before it gets worse; it only starts with lots of training and players knowing their duties. So we really have to call an urgent player meeting and fix this so we can get back to our winning ways," he concluded.
Elsewhere, Kasaona Football Academy U/17 collected their valuable three points when they beat Julinho Athletic Football Club 1-0. Coach Katjinaani Uhapita felt the boys came with a different mindset when they came to the field and were well prepared. "They were ready for the game today as they came in numbers with a strong mindset to win the game, and we accomplished that," he said.
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In the second half, the coach made some adjustments in the midfield as he felt it was not compact enough and needed some tightening up. "It was a little bit shaky as they were everywhere, so we made a few changes there and upfront, and we got the goal. They worked together and communicated very well, but I would like to improve on our final third. Especially for our young boys to become professionals, that is the aspect I would want to work on," he ended.
