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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE assistant coach Callisto Pasuwa believes the international experience gained from playing inter-club continental club football and the Cosafa Cup could come handy when they make their third successive appearance at the CHAN finals next week.
The third edition of the CHAN tournament will burst into life at Cape Town Stadium on January 11 when hosts South Africa face Mozambique in the opening game.
Group B seeds Zimbabwe will then get their campaign underway with a clash against the Atlas Lions of Morocco at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town the following day.
Coach Ian Gorowa named his final 23-man side on New Year’s Eve with the 41-year gaffer blending youth with experience as he seeks to do better than his predecessors — Sunday Chidzambwa in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 and Madinda Ndlovu (Sudan 2011) — who could not go beyond the group stages.
Pasuwa yesterday said they had opted to balance their squad with the hope that the experience, which some of their players had gained from playing in the Champions League, Confederation Cup and the Cosafa Castle Cup, would have a rub-on effect on the rookie players in the side.
Such players like FC Platinum midfielder Charles Sibanda and CAPS United goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube were also part of the Warriors squad at the last CHAN tournament in Sudan.
First-choice goalkeeper George Chigova has also played Champions League football with Dynamos as has his teammates Augustine Mbara, Tawanda Muparati and skipper Partson Jaure.
Midfielder Ali Sadiki featured in the Champions League with Gunners and his current club FC Platinum while big defender Oscar Machapa first played continental club football when he was at CAPS United.
With Gorowa keeping the core of the team that has made up the home-based Warriors during his nine-game unbeaten run as Zimbabwe coach, it has meant that vice-captain Masimba Mambare, striker Nelson Maziwisa, the Chicken Inn trio of Felix Chindungwe, Kuda Mahachi and Danny Phiri have been retained after also having been exposed to continental football in the CHAN qualifiers as well as the Cosafa Cup side.
Pasuwa felt it was plus for them to have within their ranks players who have experience and would ensure their less seasoned teammates would not be overawed by the occasion in Cape Town.
“I think it is a bonus to have some guys who have been there before at the CHAN tournament guys like Tafadzwa Dube and Charles Sibanda, it always helps when you mix them with the youth and the less experienced because even when you are in camp they always share with the youngsters.
“Of course, there is a difference between Champions League and the CHAN but I think the exposure these guys got in the Championships League or Confederation Cup also helps them a lot,’’ Pasuwa said.
Although he expects all their Group B opponents to be tough, Pasuwa noted that “neither team would have home advantage’’.
“Sometimes when you play teams especially those from North Africa they really maximise on home advantage and they can make life very difficult for you but in this case we are meeting Morocco, Burkina Faso and Uganda at a neutral venue so it is how we will apply ourselves that will count most’’.
Pasuwa said they had also been stressing to their players during the fortnight of camp that they needed to be physically and mentally strong in order to withstand the heat at such tournaments like the CHAN competition.
“This is a higher level from what they have been experiencing in the PSL where we need to be very strong mentally and physically because these are the demands of the game.
“We will also need to be cautious and ensure we avoid making too many mistakes because you can easily get punished but we should also not fear any opponents but just to respect them,’’ Pasuwa said.
The Dynamos coach also expressed satisfaction with the Warriors state of preparedness despite the senior team having encountered some logistical problems that forced their training camp into a slow start.
“We cannot hide that we were behind time when we started camp but after working so hard with four sessions a day twice in the gym and twice on the field, I think we are getting there and most of the work has now been done.
“When we resume tomorrow we will then do the finishing touches to the programme and I think we will be okay by the time we leave for the tournament’’.
But Gorowa and his men are now likely to use the clash against Gabon at the Rand Stadium on January 7 and another proposed match against Ajax Cape Town two days later to finalise their preparations before they plunge into their first battle against the Atlas Lions on January 12.
Online Reporter