I NOTICED A CHANGE IN ZEMURA, SAYS MAPEZA

Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

NORMAN Mapeza says he noticed a change in Jordan Zemura’s attitude during the Four Nations tournament in Malawi.

He said the Warriors star didn’t appear to push himself as much as he did when they last interacted.

A source confided with a Zimpapers correspondent in Ireland that Zemura was taking a sabbatical from the Warriors as long as Mapeza does not change his treatment of England-born players.

Mapeza’s player management style was also questioned.

Yesterday, the coach replied.

“Maybe, the problem was that he didn’t play as much as he would have liked,” said Mapeza.

“I told him, Jordan, you have changed a little bit, in terms of your attitude, last year you were pushing, you wanted to play, what is going on?

“That’s what I asked him and he said no coach I am fine but I will sort it out. That’s what I spoke to him about.

“I am a coach and I can see when a player is having challenges.”

Mapeza also explained his decision to leave him out of the final match against Kenya.

“I had seen him and I wanted someone who is more like a midfielder. The formation we were playing didn’t have natural wingers.

“He plays leftback most of the times, like the other game that I saw him playing against Inter-Milan.

“I talk to everybody. I told him I want you to play here and he said it’s okay coach. Then I substituted him. So does he mean he didn’t want to be substituted?

“Is he now a Maradona? That’s the problem at the end of the day. To be honest with you, I respect football players but I believe football is all about team work.

“It’s not about an individual. It’s not about Zemura, Marshall Munetsi or Knowledge Musona. It’s about collective effort. That he did not play the second game was more tactical than anything else.”

The coach also defended his training methods.

“Maybe, these guys have their own certain way of doing things at their clubs. But I can’t be following the programme of his coach in Italy.

“This is a national team and we have only two to three days and I do what I feel is going to be good for these guys. Why only him and all other players have not complained?

“We just did the normal training sessions.”