dyton mupawaenda
Langton Nyakwenda
THE axe might be hovering over his head, as he braces for a very familiar and yet tricky opponent, but Dynamos coach Herbert Maruwa has been putting on a brave face, insisting the ultimatum to either save his job or get fired will not disturb his focus.
Dynamos date Black Rhinos at Bata Stadium in Gweru today.
Maruwa has to win the match to save his job. The youthful gaffer was given a two-match ultimatum just before the season took a three-week break. He managed to beat ZPC Kariba 3-0 in the first match but must win against his former side Black Rhinos to avoid the axe.
When the season was suspended on June 7, DeMbare had accumulated 18 points from 12 matches and were five points behind log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Maruwa has a 50 percent success rate after managing four wins, six draws and two losses.
“At the moment, I can’t talk about that (ultimatum). What I can only do is concentrate on the game against Black Rhinos and make sure we get a positive result,” Maruwa told The Sunday Mail Sport last week at the team’s training session at Alex Sports Club.
Playing against Rhinos, his former paymasters, could, however, prove tricky for Maruwa, as Chauya Chipembere are also desperate to win.
The soldiers, who are now under the tutelage of veteran Saul Chaminuka, anchor the log table with five points from one win, three draws and eight losses.
Rhinos’ only win so far came in their opening game of the season against fellow army side Cranborne Bullets on March 20. Since then, it has been gloomy for the 1985 champions.
“It’s not the first time playing against Rhinos since leaving them,” said Maruwa, who was sacked from Rhinos in July 2022.
“I played against them when I had a brief stint at Harare City towards the end of last season and we managed to win that one, so I am looking forward to another positive result.” The three-week break might have given Maruwa some breathing space, as pressure was mounting following a string of draws and a loss to log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars. He, however, bounced back with an emphatic 3-0 victory over ZPC Kariba at the National Sports Stadium on June 4.
Industrious midfielder Donald Mudadi scored a brace in that match to take his season’s tally to four. Mudadi is the leading scorer at Dynamos, whose strikers have been ineffective in the first 12 rounds of the 2023 season.
Nyasha Chintuli and Eli Ilunga are yet to score since their switch to DeMbare from Manica Diamonds and Black Rhinos, respectively. The duo is unlikely to start this afternoon, while Jayden Bakare has also been ruled out due to injury.
Maruwa is likely to start with a front three of Tinashe Makanda, Issa Sadiki and Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga.
“The break affected us because, when we played against ZPC Kariba, we did well; we were in good form. Now, coming back after a three-week break is going to affect our rhythm,” added Maruwa.
“Now it’s like we are starting again, but, as a team, we need to make sure that we regroup and get a positive result.”
Dynamos are yet to lose a league match against Rhinos since May 2017, but today’s match could be tricky. Of the 12 matches DeMbare have played so far, eight were at the National Sports Stadium. However, today, they play at Bata Stadium in Gweru, an unfamiliar territory for them. Rhinos, too, are playing at the venue for the first time, having shared the National Sports Stadium with DeMbare, along with six other clubs. “We are yet to see the pitch but we will try and adjust,” said Maruwa.
“But, in terms of support, we will be okay, because Dynamos have a very big support base and we are expecting a huge crowd.”
DeMbare captain Frank Makarati is out as he is still recovering from an ankle injury.
In his absence, Donald Dzvinyai and Kelvin Moyo will hold fort at centre-back, with Emmanuel Jalai and Shadreck Nyahwa filling in the full-back positions.
Dzvinyai has been impressive and Maruwa could have a positive headache when Makarati returns.
“He (Dzvinyai) did very well in terms of filling the position that was left by our captain, so we will see how we will juggle the team when Makarati is back. But, basically, Donald did well.”
DeMbare’s biggest undoing has been their impotent attack.
“We have been encouraging the strikers to work hard in front of goal and it has been working. When we played Ngezi Platinum Stars and ZPC Kariba, we managed to score in both games. We expect to score again in this game against Rhinos.” Veteran striker Evans Katema had been linked with a move to Rhinos but he trained with DeMbare last week, as he had been for much of the first half the season. With Bakare’s injury threatening to keep him on the sidelines for some time, Maruwa has been contemplating recalling Katema to boost his attacking options.
Fixtures:
CAPS United v Highlanders (Barbourfields), Black Rhinos v Dynamos (Bata), Triangle v Cranborne Bullets (Gibbo), Herentals College v Simba Bhora (Mandava)
Online Reporter