DYNAMOS coach, Lloyd Mutasa believes his team has made progress since he assumed the reigns from Portuguese coach, Paulo Jorge Silva and has declared that the time was now ripe for him to win the championship.
BY SPORTS REPORTERS
This is the first time the Dynamos gaffer, who narrowly missed the title last season, has boldly declared his intentions to bag the big one since taking over two seasons ago.
“I think from the very beginning, we said we wanted to better our performance and we managed fifth position. After that, we said we wanted to do better than we had done the previous season and we finished second in the championship race. We have been making progress and our target this term is to win the championship. Anything short of that is a failure on our part. So we are saying second place finish this season will be a failure,” he said.
It appears the Glamour Boys are providing a convincing case of their credentials with the team’s youthful squad producing astonishing performances in pre-season matches, where they lifted the Zimbabwe National Army Charities Trophy after beating old rivals Caps United and Highlanders in the competition’s semi-final and finals, respectively.
Some of the stars that shone the brightest and made a good case to be part of the squad when the season starts include 19-year-old Kudzanai Dhemere, who was voted the best player of the tournament after netting the clinchers in both matches, Tanaka Uswahwengavi, Valentine Kadonzvo and former Caps United left-back, Romario Matova. New arrival, Godfrey Mukambi has also been outstanding.
While those performances have given their fans hope, there are still concerns over the performances of the senior players, who seem to lack the verve and spirit associated with the Glamour Boys when they were edged 2-1 by Zambian side Buildcon in another friendly match at the weekend.
The match was an opportunity for senior members of the squad to prove that they deserve to play ahead of the juniors, but based on their display, Mutasa might be tempted to stick to the impressive Young Turks.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Mutasa has himself given a hint that the youth brigade could form the core of the team this term as he bids to win the ultimate prize of domestic football.
The former Dynamos midfield maestro was appointed caretaker coach in May 2016 following the departure of Silva, who was dismissed for incompetence and he managed to turn around the fortunes of the club, which had seen them struggle at the bottom of the table.
Mutasa managed to improve that performance last season despite a slow start to the campaign, and finished second, beaten to the title by just two points.
He had been forced to assemble a new squad following the departure of several key players, who were either snapped up by rival clubs or fired for indiscipline.
