MWOS change approach

Tadious Manyepo

Zimpapers Sports Hub

LLOYD MUTASA isn’t going down that road again.

Last year MWOS pushed hard, 16 games unbeaten, same faces every week, same engine carrying them, until it gave in. When the legs went, so did the title.

He remembers it well.

“If you look at us last year, we never had depth,” said Mutasa. “We had to work with their mentality more than anything else and we always had the same First 11. That meant we were living on shaky ground and risking it all up. When we got injuries and suspensions, our fears manifested as we hit a barren spell that ultimately cost us what could have been a historic campaign.” This time he is spreading the load.

Seven games in, MWOS are on 12 points, four behind CAPS United. Not as sharp as last season on paper. But Mutasa isn’t chasing that.

He has already used close to 20 players.

That tells its own story.

Even in goal, there is no fixed number one. Francis Tizayi and Tedious Baye have both had a run. At the back, Innocent Zambezi, who hardly missed a minute last season, has already sat out two games.

Some of the regulars have had to wait their turn, Billy Veremu, Mathew Murambiwa, Tinotenda Mutyambizi, Malvin Mudzuka, Tafadzwa George.

No one is guaranteed a shirt now.

Mutasa has even moved pieces around when he feels like it. Tafadzwa Nyabunze and Valentine Katsande stepping into midfield, changing shape depending on the day. “I think that’s what is important, to be able to freshen the squad up and get optimized performance from each of the players we have around,” he said. “We want to solve the problems we had last year where we didn’t have adequate depth for competitiveness. If you have been watching us since the start of the year, you would realise that we have tried to have everyone to play the game.

“It is helping us a lot in terms of keeping the players fresh. Of course we have started the season not in a way we would have wanted given what we did last year but all is shaping us and I believe the depth we have can help us a lot.” It’s not as exciting as last year’s run. But it might last longer. MWOS go to Mandava on Sunday to face FC Platinum. That’s where this approach starts to get tested.