Here we go again….. Warriors trip delayed… Pasuwa not happy
By Grace Chingoma
The Warriors did not leave as scheduled on the overnight flight for their final 2017 Nations Cup qualifier against Guinea in Conakry on Sunday and are now only expected to fly out of Harare in the early hours of tomorrow.
They are scheduled to arrive in Conakry late tomorrow night and will not have a feel of the stadium, as they had planned, but plunge into action the following day.
Earlier indications were that the Warriors were scheduled to leave in the early hours of this morning for Guinea, but complications arose yesterday, forcing a change in the travel arrangements.
There were suggestions late last night that only 11 players, and the coaching staff, will now leave Harare with another four Europe-based players, including talismanic forward Knowledge Musona, set to join their counterparts in Guinea.
They were all scheduled to fly from Brussels in Belgium.
The Warriors face Guinea on Sunday at Stade du 28 September in the Group L “dead rubber” match.
The coach believes the team’s travel arrangements will leave him with little time to work with his whole squad.
The Europe-based contingent is likely to be thrown straight into battle without training with the team.
“I think one area (we need to improve) is how we prepare ourselves,” said Pasuwa.
“I foresee some problems that will come with the way we are travelling.
“We wanted a day or two in Guinea together with the other boys who are going straight to Guinea, but again I don’t know now and we will have to see how we are going to do it.”
Pasuwa said the match was still very important as he wants to improve the team’s rankings before the AFCON draw next month.
Zimbabwe are likely to meet West African opposition at the continental showpiece with five teams from that part of the continent having already booked their places at the Nations Cup, including Guinea Bissau and Senegal.
Pasuwa believes the match on Sunday, in West African conditions, will give him an indication of what they are likely to face in Gabon in terms of opposition.
“As a coach, it is one area you shouldn’t say I have already qualified and this game doesn’t matter at all,” said Pasuwa.
“We need to have a solid team, a continuation of what we have been doing, remember there are some of the games we have been playing and we have been having problems in our team so we want to rectify those problems and see how best we can fare.
“Remember there are teams from West Africa who play like Guinea, so it is one area we will be able to judge ourselves in terms of how we can play them, especially playing away from home.”
The Warriors yesterday went through their paces at Gateway High School and Dynamos defender Godknows Murwira said he was happy to be part of the star-studded team.
The right back is one of the home-based players in the squad who have been called by Pasuwa.
The other one is Ronald Chitiyo.
“It is a chance, something that I have been waiting for to be called into the national team. It is something exciting to represent your country,” said Murwira.
“I am happy to go to Guinea as one of the representative of the last AFCON qualifier match.” The defender said if given a chance, he was ready to play his part.
The former Shabanie man believes he has been rewarded for his hard work at the Glamour Boys where he has been one of the most consistent players at the club.
“The coach has been watching my games and that’s why he called me to the national team.
“I have been at little clubs compared to Dynamos and the reason I was signed at Dynamos is the same reason I am still working hard and this is not the end and I am still working hard because I also want to go to Europe,” said Murwira. The Herald
