CONFIDENT Simba SC Head Coach, Sven Vandenbroack said they will prepare well to claim another three points from their traditional rivals Young Africa at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.
The defending champions produced yet another thrilling performance to silence second-placed Azam FC 3-2 on Wednesday at the 60,000 capacity stadium in the city to stay 20 points clear at the top of the table.
With 68 points from 26 matches, the reigning champions have put the silverware within their reach as they continue to win game after game, regardless where the match is played which signifies pure characteristics of the champions to be.
Despite the nosedive, Azam remain second on the log after bagging 48 points from 26 matches and see their title race campaign somewhat affected, meaning that they too have to channel their power to the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) as the only way out to play in the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
“After today’s (Wednesday) match, we will go to camp with a big smile to prepare well for another big match and be able to get crucial three points,” said Vandenbroack at a postmatch briefing, while praising the work rate and energy of his players.
Moreover, the Belgian coach who eyes to lift the prestigious league title within his first spell at the club disclosed that he saw a very good opening half with great movement, passing and modern football.
“In the second half, we could not display the same spirit because we had only two days to recover while our opponents had one more day to prepare but we showed that we can win using physical skills and not just depending on technical skills,” he said.
Additionally, Vandenbroack said he was happy to see that Meddie Kagere scored on the day after sometime without netting, while lauding his goalkeeper Aishi Manula for making three important saves to keep them in the match.
“Generally, it was a very good tactical first half and a very good mental and physical second half such that the three days we need to use well for the next match on Sunday,” he added.
He also pointed out that the heavy pitch which was soaked compelled players to use much energy, saying it was another reason for them to fail to display their usual pace as they had to use a lot of energy.
His right back Shomari Kapombe said they will add extra ingredient in their preparation for Yanga match on Sunday to emerge winners with maximum three points.
“The morale in our squad is already high and we are going to listen to what the coach will tell us in order to do well in the upcoming match,” Kapombe, who provided the crucial assist for the third goal, said.
He then called on Simba fans to come in big number to rally behind them on the day, while insisting that he is fully well despite picking an injury on his hand during the Azam encounter of which he said it was not that serious.
On his part, Azam captain, Aggrey Morris said minor mistakes had a negative impact and highly contributed to their defeat.
“In football, you cannot dominate all the time and our opponents had a chance to use the mistakes we committed to their advantage. We will work hard in our next matches and our fans should not leave us alone in our upcoming games,” he said.
