Where are the goals??

Fungai Muderere
ITaï¿½ï¿½S been six years since strikers in the local Premier Soccer League scored more than 20 goals in a single season.

Yesteryear scoring machine Moses Chunga reckons itaï¿½ï¿½s because the current crop of players are just plain lazy.

Instead of taking instructions from their coaches to improve firepower in front of goal Bambo as Chunga is commonly known says players opt to lend an ear to managers and agents.

aï¿½?The players right across our league have great ability, no doubt about that but they are very lazy. They donaï¿½ï¿½t take time to improve their skills but instead listen to their managers and agents and not coaches as compared to us during our days,aï¿½? said Chunga.

aï¿½?In a very organised league like the PSL, we need to raise the bar much higher. Honestly speaking, we should have had meaningful double figures at this stage of the season. What is 11 goals at this stage of the season?aï¿½? he asked rhetorically.

In his days Bambo was a striker of repute.

In 1986, the great Chunga ascended the podium to accept the Super League top goal scorer award with a massive 46 goals for Dynamos.

His teammate Max Makanza had finished the season with 25 goals.

In 1982 Shacky Tauro of CAPS United bagged 23 goals.

The following season, Maronga aï¿½?The Bomberaï¿½? Nyangela, found the back of the net 28 times for Black Rhinos, one ahead of Makanza while Tauro scored 22 times.

Ex-Highlanders, Chicken Inn and Bantu Rovers coach Mandla aï¿½?Luluaï¿½? Mpofu is of the view that the league lacks strikers with the natural ability to score from a single chance.

aï¿½?Itaï¿½ï¿½s rare that we see a player finish a move with one touch and itaï¿½ï¿½s a goal,aï¿½? he said.

The question that begs an answer is what does it say about the quality, or lack of thereof, of the current crop of strikers in the countryaï¿½ï¿½s elite league that consistently fail to break through the barrier of 20 goals from 30 matches?

Currently leading goal scorer Leonard Tsipa of Caps United has 11 goals with two games to go before the season ends.

Eleven goals is the stuff of midfielders in other leagues. Tsipa has probably become our own Collins Mbesuma who during the 2015/2016 season in South Africa was for the second time collecting the Lesley Manyathela accolade, coming 11 years after he bagged his first with 25 goals for Kaizer Chiefs under the stewardship of coach Ted Dumitru.

aï¿½?If I win this one, I wonaï¿½ï¿½t be happy. I mean look at the goals I scored so far; 14 aï¿½ï¿½ that is pathetic,aï¿½? Mbesuma was quoted as saying.

Numbers donaï¿½ï¿½t lie, the goals have dried up in Zimbabweaï¿½ï¿½s top-tier football league. Last year, ex-Highlanders forward Knox Mutizwa was the top goal scorer after scoring 14 goals from 17 starts, two ahead of CAPS Unitedaï¿½ï¿½s Dominic Chungwa.

Mutizwa surpassed 2014 joint top goal scorers Charles Sibanda and Kuda Musharu who shared the prize after banging 13 goals in 30 games. The 2014 seasonaï¿½ï¿½s goals happened to be the lowest record by a Golden Boot Award winner in a decade. The least goals netted by the countryaï¿½ï¿½s top marksman had previously been held by Dynamoaï¿½ï¿½s Roderick Mutuma who scored 14 times in 2011.

The last person to walk away with the once coveted Top Goal Scorer of the Year award having surpassed the 20 goal mark is Norman Maroto who had 22 in 2010. Then, the former DeMbare striker was with the now defunct Gunners.

Ex-Njube Sundowns striker Evans Chikwaikwai holds a record for being the most prolific forward since 2000 after scoring 23 goals in 2008.

PSL Top Goal Scorers since 2008

2008 Evans Chikwaikwai 23
2009 Nyasha Mushekwi 21
2010 Norman Maroto 22
2011 Roderick Mutuma 14
2012 Nelson Maziwisa 18
2013 Tendai Ndoro 18
2014 Charles Sibanda, Kuda MusharuAï¿½ 13
2015 Knox Mutizwa 14 .