Shaky start for last season’s top three
IT’S been a nervy start for last season’s Castle Lager Premiership top three clubs who have failed to register a win in their first two assignments.
Last season, Ngezi Platinum Stars, Manica Diamonds, and Dynamos walked away with the league’s gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively.
The three clubs then went on to the market to boost their squads ahead of the 2024 season with a primary goal of winning this year’s title.
However, their respective starts have left a lot to be desired, at least by the standards they set while weaker last year.
Last season’s champions Ngezi Platinum and third-placed Dynamos have managed a point from the opening two matches.
Ngezi is still to find the target after two attempts and the striker they had banked on for goals, Obriel Chirinda has been a spectator ever since moving from Bulawayo Chiefs due to an ownership wrangle pitting Dynamos.
Soccer Star of the Year second runner-up, Chirinda has not been issued a PSL licence as Dynamos claims he signed a contract with them before deciding to join Ngezi Platinum.
Ngezi Platinum’s goals column might remain blank until Chirinda is finally allowed to lead their attack.
Alarm bells are already ringing at Glamour Boys who also lost the Castle Challenge Cup to Ngezi Platinum in what has been a miserable start to the season that promised a lot.
Already there are calls for coach Genesis Mangombe to leave, barely two months into a substantive contract at DeMbare.
What makes the situation bad is Dynamos had managed six points from their opening two matches without conceding a goal last season, including a 1-0 win at Hwange who forced a 2-2 draw at Barbourfields last week on Sunday.
At this stage last season, Dynamos had scored five goals without conceding a goal and now they are five points worse off, scored two goals less, and conceded four goals more.
One has to go back to 2018 for the other time they failed to win at least one of their opening two matches as they lost at Chicken in the first game and then drew 3-3 at home to Shabanie Mine — they went on to finish 11th.
Manica Diamonds, who celebrated the return of Sakubva Stadium, have had the worst start of last season’s top three after losing both matches and conceding six goals in the process — three apiece against Simba Bhora and TelOne.
And, it’s fair to say these struggling teams were rescued by the international break as they will take this chance to re-address their troops.
Ngezi Platinum endured a similar start last season but they showed a mark of champions after the restart where they outpaced their rivals in the title marathon. No team racked in more points than Takesure Chiragwi’s men after the restart and it’s something that might reduce pressure on his shoulders.
The same cannot be said for Manica Diamonds who are known for setting the pace in the early stages of the campaign.
They have netted three times in their first two fixtures which leaves Jairos Tapera’s defensive unit with no place to hide.
Interestingly, their goalie, Tadious Baye has now — in a space of two games — equalled the number of goals he conceded all season when he powered GreenFuel to book their slot in the Premiership two seasons ago.
However, Tapera will find solace in knowing that his trusted gunman, Fortune Binza, has rediscovered his scoring shoes.
Binzi netted 10 times last season for the Gem Boys but he was considered among the factors why Manica Diamonds failed to win the Premiership title last season as he scored once after the mid-season break.