SIMBA SC Head Coach Sven Vandenbroeck disclosed that the tempo was low for his side in their 2-1 win over Mwadui FC over the weekend in Dar es Salaam.
Simba came from a goal behind to thrash Mwadui and cruise into the last-16 phase of the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) in a thrilling match at the National Stadium with Kenyan import Francis Kahata scoring the winner late in the 84th minute.
It was a sweet revenge for Simba against the only team so far which embarrassed them in the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) at CCM Kambarage Stadium in Shinyanga where Mwadui won 1-0.
But, reacting after the victory in a post-match briefing, Vandenbroeck reiterated that the tempo for his side was very low to make a big difference. “We have been conceding goals in the past four games in a row something we need to improve on to suit the level of Simba and be able to create many clean sheets,” he said.
Adding, the Belgian trainer, who is looking to win silverware with the Msimbazi Street giants, narrated that he was happy with the execution of some basic technical principles by his players even though he was not happy with final choices and passes.
“I think we need to work much on communication and better positioning in the upcoming days even though it will not be enough since we are going to play three matches in nine days,” he said.
He however conceded that they knew how tough facing Mwadui was going to be basing on the fact that they lost against them in VPL.
Also, the coach hailed his charges for not going down in every two minutes to win time as opposed to the visiting team. On his part, Mwadui coach Khalid Adam said they are still in the process of re-building the team since it has many players who have joined them during the minitransfer window.
“We have many young players from the First Division League (FDL) who are still adapting to the top flight league and so far, we are progressing well with the process,” he said.
He also said he was totally against the behaviour of some of his players who were regularly going down during the encounter saying they were later punished for that. In his comment, Mwadui shot-stopper Mussa Mbissa ruled out the goal saying it was an off-side that is why his defenders were not alert to clear it.
“The goal was a clear off-side but we have no other option other than to accept it. Our focus now is to do well in the VPL,” he said.
He further revealed that Simba were particularly good in the midfield hence able to launch more attacks towards their goal. He then named Simba playmaker Jonas Mkude as among the dangerous midfielders in the VPL.
