adminSports Reporter
MIGHTY Warriors’ coach Shadreck Mlauzi says he would use this weekend’s friendly game against neighbours Botswana to try out new combinations since the girls last played a competitive match in October last year.
The girls are a bit rusty since their last game was the historic 1-0 win over Cameroon in the final qualifier of this August’ Olympic Games.
They were supposed to go into camp in December, but Zifa kept postponing it until Monday when they finally went into camp at a Bulawayo hotel to start preparations for an away Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania on the weekend of March 4-6.
If they beat Tanzania, the girls will play against either Namibia or Zambia in the next round of qualifiers. The Africa Women Cup of Nations finals will be staged in Cameroon in December.
The Mighty Warriors will also use the qualifiers as part of their preparations for the Olympics to be held in the Brazilian seaside city of Rio de Janeiro.
Mlauzi said the Botswana women’s team is a strong and competitive side, but his main focus would be on building new combinations.
“We’re not concerned about winning or losing the game, our priority for now is to work on combinations in defence, midfield and in attack. It’s been long since the girls played any match and we’re going to conduct more drills to ensure that they’re prepared for the Tanzanian game,” said Mlauzi.
“The idea not to break camp is perfect for us. No one is ever ready and we’re going to use the time to make the best of our preparations for it. We’ve just hit the ground running with fitness tests, which are the basis of our camp, and hope to stick to our road map to ensure that it’s a success,” he said.
Online Reporter