Mapeza chasing two objectives
WARRIORS interim coach Norman Mapeza says he is not only out to lead the squad to glory at the Four Nations Tournament in Malawi but he is marvelling at the prospect of assessing the new brooms in the fold as well.
Mapeza is leading the Warriors on an interim basis at this contest taking place in Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe.
The tournament features the hosts, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to face-off against Zambezi rivals Zambia in the semi-finals tomorrow at the Bingu National Stadium before Malawi plays Kenya in the other semi-final at the same venue late in the day.
Winners from the semi-final match-ups will meet in the final at the same venue on Tuesday next week while losers will play the curtain-raiser with a third-place play-off showdown.
And Mapeza reckons that he will be chasing after two objectives including winning the competition.
“I am more than happy that everyone is here. The guys are pushing. The desire is there, the hunger is there and the attitude is very positive.
“Everything looks okay. You can tell from the way the boys are dressed. There is a massive improvement from the previous camps we have done. So far everything is okay,” said Mapeza.
“It’s a game of football, you know first of all we need to win our games. Secondly, it has so much to do with the assessment of these guys who haven’t been here before.
“So there are two objectives here, the first one like I said is about winning games and the second one is to assess the guys who haven’t been here before.
The FC Platinum gaffer, who has frequently been in charge of the Warriors on an on-and-off basis over recent years will be keen to see how the new players in the system will fare.
That he will be retained to continue as the Warriors mentor is not guaranteed but once he takes notes on the recruits he will be well-positioned to decide their future, in case he continues or at least he will be able to share the information with the technical director’s office for the benefit of the country.
Some of the new lads in the team include the Dynamos pair of Kevin Moyo and Emmanuel Jalai as well as rising Simba Bhora prospect Junior Makunike.
Goalkeeper Marley Tavaziva, who plays for Brentford B team in England, defenders Shane Maroodza (Huddersfield Town) and Joey Phuthi (Sheffield Wednesday), midfielder Tivonge Rushesha (Reading) and Boswana-based striker Daniel Msendami, who turns out for Jwaneng Galaxy are some of the new faces in the camp.