AfricaPress-Tanzania: FOOTBALL pundits in the country have urged Simba SC to improve in some areas of their squad as a prerequisite for them to do well in international contests next season if they win the league title.
Simba are on the right path to claim the season’s championship and thereby represent the country in CAF Champions League, the biggest club level football contest on the continent.
The defending champions sit comfortably at the top of the table with 71 points clear and look certain to bag their third straight silverware of the Mainland Premier League.
However, some analysts argued that the current Simba squad is lethal for domestic league matches such that it cannot fully cope with the demands of CAF level championship which draws together the continent’s big guns.
“To my side, I think Simba need to strengthen their defense by snatching a flexible and energetic defender who can withstand the tempo of big matches available in CAF level championship,” said Amri Kiemba, the former Simba SC player.
He added that they need to get another potential right back to assist Shomari Kapombe whom he said he is prone to frequent injuries which in the end can affect the team.
He again recommended the Msimbazi street side to get two more creative midfielders who have pace and skills to assist the likes of Clatous Chama.
“Also, they need to bring on board third striker to assist John Bocco and Meddie Kagere who are fighting with age. They are still good strikers but they need somebody to challenge them,” he said.
Asked whether the players should be imported from outside the country or get them within the nation, Kiemba said not every player who is bought from the outside is competitive on the pitch.
“When teams decide to bring a player from outside the boundaries, he should really be good on the battlefield such that nobody should question about their abilities otherwise, we have some potential talent in the country capable to bring the intended results,” he said.
On his part, another decorated former player Thomas Kipese pointed out that Simba needs to get a perfect central defender to challenge Pascal Wawa and Erasto Nyoni whom he said age is catching up on them.
“To the right back, Shomari Kapombe is good but he still has to get his assistant who can execute well the duties like him,” he said.
Furthermore, Kipese recommended Simba to find another holding midfielder insisting that Jonas Mkude is not that good in aerial balls and commits many fouls which can cost the team.
“Until now, Simba lacks a player of Emmanuel Okwi’s caliber who was not afraid to score goals. The current Simba squad can go into the opponent’s box for more than ten times without scoring which was not the case when Okwi was present,” Kipese, the former Yanga and Simba player said.
