Sports / Soccer
Peter Ndlovu to sharpen blunt strike force
12 Jun 2012 at 07:00hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Warriors' legendary former Warriors striker and national football team assistant coach Peter Ndlovu has said he will use his experience as a former blazing striker to sharpen the blunt Warriors strikers after a tale of missed opportunities against Mozambique in a Group G 2014 World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Ndlovu was concerned at the rate at which the strikers failed to put away gilt edged chances ahead of the 2013 African Cup of Nations first round, second leg match against Burundi on Sunday.
"To be honest, the strikers were a big letdown in that match and I have taken it upon myself to train them. My main task as we build up to the Burundi game is to work with the strikers. I will talk to them so that we find a solution because the good thing is that we are creating chances," said the legendary former Warriors striker.
The team drew 0-0 against the hosts in a match they could have easily won had it not been a monumental miss by midfielder Ovidy Karuru who had a forgettable day in office by his standards.
Against Mozambique, Karuru had the greatest opportunity to steal the game for the visitors in the first half, but a shocking decision to square the ball to fellow attacker Knowledge Musona instead of pulling the trigger cost the Rahman Gumbo-coached side three valuable points that could have given the side a glimmer of hope to their campaign for a place in the finals to be held in Brazil.
The Warriors trail the Burundians 2-1 and need a win to stay in contention for the tournament which will be hosted by South Africa.
This will be Zimbabwe's biggest chance as a win on Sunday will leave them with one hurdle to clear to reach the finals.
Ndlovu was concerned at the rate at which the strikers failed to put away gilt edged chances ahead of the 2013 African Cup of Nations first round, second leg match against Burundi on Sunday.
"To be honest, the strikers were a big letdown in that match and I have taken it upon myself to train them. My main task as we build up to the Burundi game is to work with the strikers. I will talk to them so that we find a solution because the good thing is that we are creating chances," said the legendary former Warriors striker.
The team drew 0-0 against the hosts in a match they could have easily won had it not been a monumental miss by midfielder Ovidy Karuru who had a forgettable day in office by his standards.
Against Mozambique, Karuru had the greatest opportunity to steal the game for the visitors in the first half, but a shocking decision to square the ball to fellow attacker Knowledge Musona instead of pulling the trigger cost the Rahman Gumbo-coached side three valuable points that could have given the side a glimmer of hope to their campaign for a place in the finals to be held in Brazil.
The Warriors trail the Burundians 2-1 and need a win to stay in contention for the tournament which will be hosted by South Africa.
This will be Zimbabwe's biggest chance as a win on Sunday will leave them with one hurdle to clear to reach the finals.
Source - newsday
