adminThe German national who took over from Rahman Gumbo is still hopeful that Zimbabwe can salvage something from the 2014 World Cup campaign which has started on a bad note.
The Warriors lost 1-0 to Guinea at home before they drew 0-0 with Mambas of Mozambique in Maputo in the four-team group which Egypt is topping.
Zimbabwe will resume their international assignments with an away match against Egypt next March before they play back-to- back match with the Pharaohs here.
And the gaffer, who becomes the third German national after Reinhard Fabisch and Rudi Gutendorf to coach the Warriors, is confident that the team can strike a chord under his mentorship.
Pagels is expected by weekend to submit his list of the assistant coaches he would want to work with after the entire technical team which presided over the 2012 failed campaign was relieved of its duties.
The Zifa technical adviser who came here in 2010 under a government to government agreement and German Olympic Federation, has been undertaking a number of junior development together with Zifa technical director Nelson Matongorere.
And the coach, whose contract with the Olympic Federation is set to expire next July, says he is satisfied with his projects, which should start to pay dividends for the country in five years time after he went on countrywide tours training grassroots coaches and players.
The coach can now fully concentrate on his national team job and extend his stay in the country.
He has also been involved with the senior national women’s soccer team, the Mighty Warriors, and took them to Germany last year for a training programme ahead of the All-Africa Games.
He also helped the former Warriors coach Norman Mapeza when the Warriors were preparing for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and were playing Liberia in the qualifiers.
The coach is unfazed that he joins the Warriors bandwagon when morale is at the lowest ebb after the Warriors failed to simply defend their 3-1 victory in Luanda and went on to lose 2-0 resulting in the Palancas Negros advancing to the tournament on the away goal rule.
“For me the game is over when I hear the final whistle in this competition. You need to have a dream and you have to work on it and realise it.
“I hope in this short time we can come up with a good team that can play tactically and maybe I am not promising, but maybe after the game of Egypt we can start talking,” said Pagels.
The expatriate coach, who has probably seen a lot of games here than most of the coaches, believes he is at an advantage and will also use that knowledge to select the best team.
Pagels believes there are a lot of talented players here that should form the core of his team.
He says only a few players plying their trade outside such as Musona and Antipas should combine with the local crop.
“We have good players from here and will combine with Musona who moved to his new team and Matongorere and I talked to his coaches when we went to Augsburg for a coaches conference, and they say he is a big talent and has a very good work rate. Players like Antipas for me he is a good player, if he is played in the right position he can play well. His team was voted the team of the year in Denmark and he played a lot of matches.
“You build a team from the back and from the team which last played in Angola, their defence I would go for local players as what the foreign players brought into the team I can still get that from the local players.
“I think the difference is that for my team I will try to find players who can play and fit into my philosophy and the tactics. I will not choose a player because he is from one big club and is a big name but cannot play my tactics.
“There are so many talented players here but we have to work with them. I would want to meet with the local players every four weeks for only two days to tell them my philosophy of football. And that we can play tactical issues like they never did before. I have my own philosophy and I will select players that would be the best players for my philosophy and not for the people.
“When I worked with the Mighty Warriors I preferred one touch football and I didn’t like players who dribbled or played long wide balls, as that is what modern football requires,” said Pagels.
The coach who will be going back to Germany next week for the festive season and will return in early January says once he returns he will get down to business and will give his programme to Zifa
He reckons that there would be challenges in assuming control of a team like the Warriors and said he believes he can work with Zifa which he believes is not entirely to blame for the problems facing Zimbabwean soccer.
“The biggest challenge is to bring in players who understand my philosophy, in the short space of time. Players who can run for each other, who have team spirit and will not think that we are playing Egypt, so we are out as they are a good team but players who are confident and can walk into the pitch full of confidence.
“We agreed a lot of things with Zifa and that I come up with my own technical team which is really important to me. They have problems at Zifa that there is no money and I hope that with this new start, sponsors will come in because companies always tell them there must be change.
“My new job will not disturb my role because there are about three games next year and because of the Fifa calendar you can only get four or five days in camp. My contract will expire at the end of July and it would be up to Zifa to hire me as a free agent or not.
“They (Zifa) are not to blame for everything, and even the media contributed to what happened in Angola as everyone thought that the team had already qualified after the first leg,” said Pagels.
Online Reporter