New problems emerge at Dynamos

DYNAMOS appeared dull and lifeless when they stumbled to a 0-2 loss at the hands of Ngezi Platinum Stars in the Castle Challenge Cup on Saturday at Baobab.

DeMbare fans who travelled for the match witnessed a horror show.

They lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, which appears to be their new system.

But, it was just a poor display for the Glamour Boys who looked out of shape as there were gaping holes in their midfield.

It is undeniable that their offensive unit remains a cause for great concern, but their midfield cannot be ignored either as they do not have a defined shape.

It could be down to an adjustment period as they recently lost Junior Makunike to Simba Bhora, who provided cover for Tanaka Shandirwa and Donald Mudadi in this zone.

But those who have watched DeMbare’s two previous fixtures can tell that they could not have asked for a better replacement than Temptation Chiwunga.

Shandirwa and Mudadi were caged by Ngezi Platinum Stars’ sitting midfielder, Richard Hachiro, all day.

It required nothing ambitious to get the Man of the Match award, from Hachiro.

He restricted Shandirwa and Mudadi from receiving the ball while facing his defenders.

This means the duo had more touches in their half, creating a glaring gap between Dynamos midfield and their front three.

Shandirwa and Mudadi are natural-holding midfielders who are being converted to play offensively.

It was easy for them to revert to their preferred roles after failing to cope with Hachiro’s grittiness.

And, this created chaos and confusion in DeMbare’s half.

Chiwunga appeared a confused man as the duo he was tasked to feed was too close and he ended up bypassing Mudadi and Shandirwa with long balls something which backfired almost every time.

As a result, Ngezi got their opener before the breakthrough Claude Mapoka, and they also benefited from the same schoolboy defending after the break when Elson Mweha doubled their lead.

Shandirwa and Mudadi were moved into a higher position because of their passion to retain possession.

Last season, their high pressing ability limited their opponents’ creativity, but they are now seeming reluctant to calm the tempo. This duo always flexed their athleticism, appearing in every corner of the pitch and that’s exactly why they were both nicknamed Kante after former Chelsea tireless holding midfielder.

But it now appears to be a disadvantage as opponents are now punishing them for their inability to maintain their lanes.

Shandirwa and Mudadi were supposed to operate from different wings but, with or without the ball, they were just two meters apart all day and their lack of discipline was what Ngezi Platinum coach, Takesure Chiragwi, profited from. Chiragwi used a similar formation, but the difference was, that he started four midfielders, Talent Chamboko, Leslie Kashitigu, Hachiro, and Tinashe Mashaireni.

Three of them are natural defensive midfielders, Chamboko was deployed on the left side of defence but when in possession, he was more involved in the centre of the park, giving the champions the numerical upper hand.

It is not only the Dynamos midfield unit that underperformed.

Their front three was out of sorts both in a creative and offensive sense.

It is fair to say Sadiki and Madere were also a big let down as they failed to provide the width Dynamos needed to penetrate Ngezi’s back-line.

As a result, Ngezi goalie, Chang Mariyoni, went home untested.

Dynamos coach, Genesis Mangombe, has enjoyed the overwhelming backing of the team’s fans since taking over from Herbert Maruwa last season.

But, they let him know that they do not agree with his crazy affection with Shandirwa, who is no longer the same player he was when he joined Dynamos.

Many Dynamos fans feel it is high time Mangombe whips Shandirwa into line.

Meanwhile, Mangombe insisted that the departure of Makunike did not affect his camp in any way.

“Makunike is a fine player, but he is no longer with us and we need to talk about those who are still here.

“I think things just went wrong, and I don’t think it was because of his absence. We have players who are equally good in that position,” said Mangombe.