adminWE have said it before and we will not be afraid to say it again until the truth strikes home – Highlanders need a striker.
We said it during the last season transfer window that the Bulawayo giants needed a central striker to improve competitiveness of the team and give it the cutting edge, but we were ignored. In fact, we said it even during the previous season and the response was the bringing in of a rookie from Division One.
And the result was that the team lost the Premiership title for the past two seasons on goal difference to Dynamos. That alone should be an indicator that not much separates the two sides, but the Bulawayo giants are always found wanting upfront, with the majority of goals coming from midfield, with Milton Ncube a good example.
Had Bosso vigorously pursued Tendai Ndoro last season, who at the beginning of the year was not settled at Chicken Inn and really wanted a move and even skipped the border to train in Botswana, and later came back home and trained with Highlanders briefly, we could be talking a different story.
Nonetheless, Ndoro is gone now and is now a Mpumalanga Black Aces player in South Africa. Good luck to him, but the truth still remains, Kelvin Kaindu must hunt for proven goal scorer if he is to have a complete championship chasing squad.
On this one, the Bulawayo giants remind me of my beloved Arsenal. They have one of the best defensive partnerships in the English Premiership, one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, an amazing midfield, and my goodness, a suspect strike force-lethal on a bright and sunny day and completely anonymous when it matters most. And when an opportunity presents itself to beef up the strike force and remain competitive for the title, what does the manager do? He signs an injured player, not just a player, but a midfielder, for a department that is certainly not problematic to him.
While we have to give a pat at the back to the Bosso executive for being aggressive this time around and bringing on board some of the best talents we have in the country, we would have failed in our duty if we do not point out that the team is incomplete without a central striker of proven record. Football nowadays is all about statistics, and for a big club like Highlanders, they cannot afford to have a whole department of forwards who are still undergoing apprenticeship.
Someone writing online described a central striker as “ often a tall player, typically known as a target man, whose main function is to score the majority of goals for his team. He may also be used to win long balls or receive passes and ‘hold up’ the ball as team-mates advance, to help teammates score by providing a pass (‘through ball’ into the box); the latter variation usually requiring quicker pace. Most modern centre forwards operate in front of the second strikers or centre attacking midfielders, and do the majority of the ball handling outside the box. The present role of centre forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder, especially in the 4-3-1-2 or 4-1-2-1-2 formations. A centre forward usually must be strong, to win key headers and ‘outmuscle’ defenders.”
You cannot necessarily find a player who would best suit the above description locally, but generally, the expectations of strikers are the same – get the ball to the back of the net.
Compared to other teams, Highlanders are found wanting in that regard. If you look at a team like FC Platinum, they have five central strikers-Njabulo Ncube whom them lured from Highlanders, Tarisai Rukanda whom they snatched from neighbours Shabanie Mine, Steven Sibanda from Buffaloes, and their own Donald Ngoma and Nelson Maziwisa.
That should give serious selection challenges to the coaching department, but it is certainly healthy for competition in the squad.
Highlanders fans are still mourning the departure of Njabulo. He was the main man upfront last season and was later joined by young Gabriel Nyoni, who remains the only somewhat dependable striker from last season in the squad. Njabulo could have been predictable, but he is such an intelligent player who made others play. His runs, passes, holding of the ball and eye for goal brought a new dimension to the team, but he is gone now and someone must fill the void.
Perhaps what gives some Highlanders faithfuls a goodnight sleep is the fact that the club signed a number of attack minded midfielders – talk of Joel Ngodzo, Charles Sibanda, Kudakwashe Mahachi, Valentine Ndaba, Rahman Kutsanzira, who join the likes of Milton Ncube and Peter Moyo going forward, but what happens when midfielders forget their goal scoring boots because naturally, that is not their job?
Mahachi is set to leave mid season for his new parent club in South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns after penning a five-year deal with them with Bosso legend Peter Ndlovu, now manager at Sundowns, deciding to tilt the scales in favour of the club that is close to his heart and loaned them Mahachi, who was also wanted on a similar arrangement by Harare giants Dynamos.
Moyo is also set to leave for his new base in June, Mpumalanga Black Aces in South Africa, according to an article by this publication during the week, and that will leave the club with less creativity in the middle of the part, but the solace is that there are many midfielders who can carry the day, including Welcome Ndiweni and veteran Mthulisi Maphosa. The report about Moyo said Bosso would not benefit from the transfer and instead, Luveve Big XI , who hold the rights of the player will get about $15 000, something which some Bosso fans might find unfair, but it is a good thing to Luveve Big XI and the powers that be there who have worked day and night to keep football alive in that part of the city.
The other area of concern for Highlanders followers and has dominated the social media is the right back position. The team struggled in that regard last season with Bruce Tshuma and Lawson Nkomo taking turns to try and stamp their authority without success, but with no proven right back signed, the technical department believes it has enough man power in defence to shift around.
Should Kaindu decide he has enough arsenal upfront by his own conviction, who will carry the day? Nyoni, Ozias Zibande, Cleopas Dube and perhaps Mgcini Dube will have to transform overnight and fit the bill.
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Online Reporter