Gorowa challenges Warriors

Harare Bureu
WARRIORS coach Ian “Dibango” Gorowa says he is still learning about his players and has challenged them to rise and shine in their Zambezi derby showdown against Zambia at Rufaro on Sunday. The two bitter rivals meet in the first leg of the final qualifying round of the Chan tournament with the winner guaranteed a place in South Africa in January next year.

It’s their second meeting in as many months after the Zambians dethroned Zimbabwe as Cosafa Cup champions on their home soil with a 2-0 win in the final.
That game marked the end of coach Klaus Dieter Pagels’ time in charge of the Warriors and Gorowa was hired to try and steer the ship to success.

After an impressive 3-0 win in Mauritius, in Gorowa’s first game in charge, the Warriors were lifeless at home against the same team as they hobbled to a 1-1 draw.
Gorowa believes his Warriors can make a big statement on Sunday now that they are likely to be backed by a huge crowd, given the nature of the opposition.

“We have to wrap it up at home but I have noticed we tend to do better away,” said Gorowa, who wants his troops to free themselves from the pressure of playing before their home fans.

“Maybe it is the pressure when at home in front of the fans and also the boys trying to do a little more.
“And that was my concern last weekend and maybe the players were over confident against Mauritius hence we were found wanting.”

After the honeymoon of Mauritius, Gorowa knows that the real business starts from now onwards and the critics are sharpening their pens and knives and it’s time to prove himself.

He watched the Warriors when they lost to Zambia in the final as a member of the backroom staff although he wasn’t on the bench and did not give any orders during the match itself.

A man who analyses every move that his team makes, Gorowa revealed that his side’s overall attacking approach against Mauritius was not bad at all although their finishing was poor.

“They (his players) had 25 entries into their box on Sunday and we should have been able to score at least five goals,” said Gorowa.
“We will learn from that match and rectify our mistakes.

“This afternoon (yesterday) we will have a video session of the game to try to see the mistakes they made going forward.
““It is not going to be an easy game. Zambia are different from Mauritius and, at least, the players know that.

“The approach would be definitely different from the previous game. Our approach is going to be different in the sense that whatever chance we create we should utilise.”

Gorowa believes this will be a straight showdown and whoever makes full use of their opportunities will emerge as the winner.
“Whoever utilises their chances will win this tie and we also have to utilise our home advantage,” said Gorowa.

“I like the fact that we are playing them in the same field we played in Zambia.
“And the good thing is that we are playing them at home first. I thought Zimbabwe played very well in Zambia but were really unluckly, again it is a question of scoring goals.”

At yesterday’s training session, the team’s skipper Masimba Mambare and the trio of Devon Chafa, Tendai Ndoro and Eric Chipeta watched from the sidelines.
Chafa was excused from the workout because of a headache while Ndoro did not train as he has a knock.

Chipeta sat out because of an ankle injury and Mambare has a groin strain.
However, the players are expected to recover in time for the crucial game.

FC Platinum striker Nelson Maziwisa was said to be on his way back as he was attending to some family issues.
The coach also revealed that he would be adding two more new faces to the squad which was in camp last week.

He said the changes were to counter the threat of the stronger opponents they were facing this time around.
Gorowa says he has noted one or two areas that require improvement.

Most of the players in the team, said Gorowa, had a good idea of the strength and quality of their opponents after playing them at the Cosafa Cup.
Zambia progressed to the last qualifying round after beating Botswana 3-1 on aggregate.

They drew 1-1 in Botswana and then the Zambians won 2-0 at their fortress at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola in the return leg.
The clash between Zimbabwe and Zambia will once again open the raging debate about which country has the better and more competitive domestic top-flight league.

Zimbabwe has long boasted of having the better Premiership, backed by the way local teams have outshone their Zambian counterparts in the Caf inter-club competitions, and that the two countries have dominated the Cosafa Cup illustrates the superior quality of their leagues.

Although the Warriors lost in the last Cosafa Cup final, they can point to the fact that when they also had the chance to host the tournament, four years ago, they thrashed Chipolopolo 3-1 in the final.

The result of that game in Ndola last month could also be deceptive given that Pagels was not afforded the luxury of taking the best possible players with his selection only limited to, at most, two players from one club.

Gorowa believes qualifying for the Chan finals is crucial in a programme that will see the Warriors take a crack at booking a place at the 2015 Nations Cup finals in Morocco.