DeMbare engage shrinks for tough week
DYNAMOS are set to engage the services of professional psychologists to help reboot their squad as they prepare for difficult assignments in the coming week.
The Harare giants play in-form Manica Diamonds at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday before they travel to Bulawayo to face Highlanders in the outstanding blockbuster fixture four days later.
They will play log leaders Ngezi Platinum at Baobab a few days later.
Dynamos engaged the services of psychologists, sport scientists and motivational speakers in the run-up to their 2-0 derby victory over rivals CAPS United recently.
That was the last time they won a match as they went on to play goalless draws against Triangle and Herentals.
Dynamos chairman Moses Maunganidze said the Glamour Boys will be hiring those mental professionals periodically, with the giants also expected to enlist their services this week as well.
“We are up for a very big test in the coming week. We will play Manica Diamonds on Sunday, Highlanders on Thursday and Ngezi Platinum will be next.
“So we will also be engaging our mental experts to help prepare our boys for the challenge.
“We will be hiring these mental experts periodically to help psyche our players”.
The last time they did that, the Glamour Boys put on a polished act as they outplayed the Green Machine before a huge crowd at the National Sports Stadium on April 30.
Yet, DeMbare went into this tie on the back of underwhelming performances in their previous four matches.
They had suffered a 3- 2 defeat at the hands of Bulawayo Chiefs at the same venue in the preceding fixture.
They had previously been held to identical goalless draws by lowly Cranborne Bullets and Simba Bhora after which they lost the Independence Cup final on penalties to Highlanders.
But, they somehow brought their A-Game into the big Harare derby and deservedly clipped their bewildered foes.
CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe had to withdraw two of his usually reliable midfielders Devon Chafa and Blessing Sarupinda after just 45 minutes as the young Dynamos players navigated the department with ease.
However, after the Makepekepe victory, Dynamos have been failing to really assert themselves in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. And it has now emerged the Glamour Boys outsourced mental experts to help prepare the players for the match against CAPS United.
In fact, a psychologist and a sport scientist spent the week preceding the derby clash attending the team’s training sessions and even went to camp with the players on the eve of the popular fixture.
A motivational speaker (name withheld) was also part of the contingent and would talk to players in the team bus, before, during and after practice.
Dynamos executive chairman Maunganidze revealed yesterday that the club had to hire mental specialists to help lift the players’ spirits after enduring tough weeks.
“Yes, we outsourced the services of motivational speakers, psychologists and sport scientists in the run-up to the match against
CAPS United. We cannot name the mental experts for ethical reasons.
“But, indeed, we engaged their services as we wanted to win the match against CAPS United at all costs,” said Maunganidze.
“Look, we were coming from a very difficult period having lost to Bulawayo Chiefs. We had also been held by Cranborne Bullets and Simba Bhora.
“Besides the disappointment in the league, we had also lost to Highlanders in the Independence final in Mt Darwin.
“So we had to recover against CAPS United but our boys were mentally down.
“CAPS United were also doing well before our match as they were yet to lose a game.
“Basically, we had to devise ways to restore confidence in our boys.
“That’s how we arrived at the decision to hire mental experts in all their forms.
“For the entire week leading to the match against CAPS United, we had a psychologist, a sport scientist and a motivational speaker helping our boys.
The boys responded in a positive manner and we got the result which helped us in a lot of ways”.