BY TERRY MADYAUTA FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza has pleaded with the team’s supporters to be patient as he moulds a new side following the exodus of senior players during the transfer window which ended yesterday.
FC Platinum host WhaWha in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match tomorrow as they seek to improve on their form which has seen them win just one of their last four encounters.
Having introduced a number of rookies into the team, Mapeza has promised that the team will come right and will start doing well again.
“We have to be patient with this transition. It’s not easy but it’s worth it for the team, it once happened and we ended the season on a better position,” he said.
“Everything will be fine, we just need to have self-confidence and believe that we are going to rise again. They will get better with time and I think it’s better for us and the country as well that we are introducing youngsters to play.”
The champions collide with WhaWha at a time when they are desperate to improve their goal scoring and will hope to capitalise on the wardens’ porous defence line.
Mapeza’s charges emphatically beat WhaWha in the Chibuku Super Cup but the veteran gaffer said under-estimating their Midlands counterparts based on previous results could be their biggest undoing.
“We all know what has been happening at WhaWha but I feel like this is going to be the most difficult game for us. My biggest worry is complacency. When you go to games like these, players tend to relax, so it’s not going to be easy,” Mapeza said.
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“So I have been talking to these boys, to be ready for anything. WhaWha has not been doing good, that’s not a secret but we still need to be ready mentally because we have been having challenges as well.”
On his strikers’ lack of precision, Mapeza said: “We still need to work a lot on that. We have been talking about it everyday, and I have been working on the players to change their decision making. At the end of the game, what matters is our players’ mindset.
“They have to improve, especially those youngsters because when you are playing as a striker you always need to be aware. It’s all about awareness and good decision-making especially in the final third, but if you are not able to do that then it means problems for us but we are working on it.
“Our performance against Manica Diamonds was massive and I think the fighting spirit and positive attitude was there. They pushed hard but we couldn’t get the goal.”
- Follow Terry on Twitter @madyautatpm
