Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER Dynamos analyst Clinton Matiza has become the domestic Premiership’s first ever set piece coach.
He takes up the historic role at Mutare based Manica Diamonds.
Matiza, who will also serve as the Mutare side’s match analyst, has been brought in as part of a deliberate technical shake up at the club, a move that signals how seriously Diamonds want to chase margins in a league where one dead ball can decide a season.
He joins a backroom team led by head coach Tafadzwa Mashiri, with Expense Chitukutu as first assistant, and his role is already being framed as a tactical weapon rather than a luxury add on.
Matiza says the appointment is not guesswork or trend chasing, but the result of long study of how elite clubs squeeze goals out of corners, free kicks and throw ins while others are still treating them as afterthoughts.
“After extensive study, I saw teams winning through set plays,” Matiza said. “FC Midtjylland of Denmark, a world leader in this innovation, was a major inspiration. They average 45% of their goals from set pieces and have dominated their league.”
He has also been tracking Arsenal’s set piece rise under specialist coach Nicolas Jover, pointing to how structured routines, movement and delivery have turned tight matches in the English Premier League and Europe.
“I realised it’s a major, unexploited gap here,” Matiza said.
“Not enough priority has been placed on set pieces in the PSL. This is the niche I want to exploit.”
At Manica Diamonds, the expectation is simple, turn corners and free kicks into points, and turn points into pressure on the clubs at the top, in a league where the title race is often settled by the smallest details.
Matiza credited the Diamonds leadership for backing the idea early, saying the conversations with Mashiri and the executive ended with the club taking a step no other PSL side has taken before.
“Thanks to coach Mashiri and the executive, we discussed it, they gave the green light, and this is the first role of its kind in Zimbabwe,” he said. Beyond the club, Matiza believes the move could expose an uncomfortable truth about local football, that Zimbabwean teams have left goals on the table for years by failing to plan properly for dead ball moments.
“I hope more clubs adopt this and more people invest in football education in these specialised areas,” he said.
“It could significantly improve the quality of our local football and the national team.”
Mashiri said Matiza’s appointment is meant to lift the team’s performance in the moments that usually decide matches, especially when open play dries up and the game turns into a battle of execution.
“We have added a set piece coach to help us with tactical analysis and specifically boost our performance in dead ball situations,” Mashiri said.
“We believe mastering these small but crucial moments can be a game changer, they can either cost us or give us an edge.” “The idea is to have someone dedicated to this area, focusing on making the most of every set piece opportunity during matches,” he said. “We want to turn these situations into a strength.”
“We expect this addition to make a real difference going forward. Set pieces can swing a game, and we’re aiming to capitalise on that.”
