By Paul Vutete HARARE City coach Taurai Mangwiro is wary of struggling Caps United turning things around against his side, noting that they had played impressively in the last match against ZPC Kariba.
The veteran coach spied on the Harare football giants when they lost 0-1 at the National Sports Stadium last Sunday and is convinced that they are better than what the results show. The Green Machine are enduring their worst run since 2012, losing seven matches on the trot.
Even so, Mangwiro, who also had a spell as head coach at Caps in 2012, remained cautious ahead of the tricky Harare derby.
“Personally, I have been at Caps; I remember well that when I came on board in 2012, the Green Machine had lost four games on the trot under Irish coach Sean Connor. When I took over, we also lost 3 consecutive matches to make them seven in a row. Once we put that to rest, we went on a 10-match unbeaten run halted only by my subsequent suspension through the Asiagate scandal,” he said.
“All I am saying is I would want to look at Caps from an analytic perspective as I was fortunate enough to watch Caps lose to ZPC Kariba. Their performance was impressive although they conceded an own goal from Machazana who I believe to be one of Caps United’s best players which was unfortunate. ZPC Kariba won due to their resilience and thanks to their goalkeeper who bailed them out on a number of occasions.”
“I will look at Caps like any of our opponents who on their day can cause an upset. After watching their performance against ZPC Kariba, I don’t think I can be fooled into believing that they are a bad side.”
Harare City, who are in 12th place with 18 points after 18 matches, have lost their last two matches against Herentals and Highlanders and will be looking to make amends against an ailing Caps.
Mangwiro acknowledged that they have had their own weaknesses and stressed he has been working to address them. He said he would challenge his players to be clinical in the final third.
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“On our part, we have had our own shortcomings. We need to find a way get ourselves out of the mud because we are only a point above Caps and further losses can see us sinking deeper into the relegation zone. I believe we are a team that is capable of a good finish at the end of the season to be counted amongst the best teams,” Mangwiro said.
“I will be challenging the players to be clinical in front of goal because we have dominated teams in most of the games; it is just the lack of precision in front of goal being our worst enemy and that is something that we need to address and get right going into the second game of the second round of fixtures and even in the game that are to follow. Defensively, we are not poor. We hope for the best against the Green Machine in the game, which if I were to quote from Mablanyo I would say, I hope it will be a humdinger of a game since this is a derby where the players stay together.”
On the other hand, Caps have slipped closer to relegation with just 17 points from 18 matches. A victory would lift their spirits and possibly set the tone for the rest of the season.
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