adminBruce Chikuni
IT was assumed the end of Tonderai Ndiraya’s tenure as Dynamos coach would result in the club firing on all cylinders.
The Glamour Boys had struggled to score goals despite being resolute in their defensive unit last season.
And, new coach Herbert Maruwa knew what he was jumping into when he succeeded Ndiraya.
He did justice to the fans’ demands by getting rid of helpless strikers who had failed to deliver.
He signed three of the top forwards in the country to join Emmanuel Paga and Tinashe Makanda.
But, the club’s problems in the final third appear to be far from over.
Dynamos lost the Uhuru Cup final on Tuesday through penalty shootouts after the match finished 0-0 at Mt Darwin High School.
This match brought the number of games which the Glamour Boys have played to a total of five, in this campaign.
And, they have only scored two goals, from open play, through Paga and Makanda.
They benefited from a brace of own goals by Sheasham defender Zivanai Chikwenhere and Frank Makatati’s penalty against the same opponents to take their tally to five.
This means, Maruwa’s men have only scored twice in open play in 450 minutes of action.
Dynamos’ goalless draw against Bosso extended their scoring drought to three straight games, having last scored against struggling Sheasham.
Sadly, none of their new acquisitions appears to be aware of where the net is.
The Castle Lager Premiership’s Most Promising Player, Jayden Barake, Nyasha Chintuli and Elie Ilunga are still to make a mark.
If combined, this trio scored a total of 28 goals last season.
Maruwa has challenged his forwards to change their mentality.
“The team is performing well but it’s the mentality which is just wrong,” said Maruwa.
“We are collapsing at crucial moments which is not okay. We are creating good chances but scoring is becoming a problem and we need our strikers to rediscover their scoring touch for us to start winning,” said Maruwa.
Dynamos have been brilliant in their defence with ‘keeper Taimon Mvula putting a good show with or without skipper Makatati in front of him.
He is the only keeper in the PSL who is still yet to concede and he has now racked five clean sheets in all competitions.
DeMbare are hosting Bulawayo Chiefs on Sunday at the National Sports Stadium.
Online Reporter