SIMBA SC Head Coach, Sven Vandenbroeck was pleased with maximum points against Namungo FC but said his charges will need to change from lateral display and be much more direct.
The Belgian trainer also said he will make a couple of changes in his squad to face Coastal Union in their next Vodacom Premier League (VPL) match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam tomorrow.
The defending champions survived a scare from Namungo FC on Wednesday in the city with Meddie Kagere rescuing what seemed to be a draw match as his controversial 88th minute goal enabled his side to emerge 3-2 winners.
Following the victory, Simba maintained their grip of the top spot on 44 points from 17 outings, while Namungo remained fifth on 28 points after playing 16 matches.
The visitors had to come from behind twice to level the score sheet but failed to do the same after the third goal was scored by the hosts, who are eager to retain the championship for the third time in a row.
At a post-match press briefing, Vandenbroeck disclosed that he will feature fresh legs in their next fixture against Coastal Union, who will be declared fit after Friday’s training session.
“What I observed from the game is that some players cannot swallow the load of too many back to back games, which made the team lack energy throughout the match,” he said.
He added that to solve the problem, he will make a lot of changes on Saturday with his final assessment of who to play expected on Friday prior to the game day.
He also attacked his players for playing a lot sideways instead of going forward, while lauding the second goal scored by their opponents which put the game at 2-2 describing them as a team with quality players.
“Although we gave a fatigue impression, we still made a difference in the end. I’m not satisfied with how we played… too much lateral, instead of going forward so that is something for the next game we have to remember.
Moreover, the Belgian trainer said he was upset with too many goals they have been conceding in almost each game played lately, a situation he said need to change. Simba have conceded six goals in five matches.
“We cannot hide the fact that we are conceding a lot of goals and that is an area we need to work on ahead of our next game. Every ball in our area is dangerous,” he said.
Commenting on the last minute strike by Kagere which earned them maximum points from the tricky match, the coach said it showed character and mentality that his team can fight until the end to get positive results.
His counterpart for Namungo FC, Hitimana Thierry admitted that they were overpowered by Simba, leading to the loss, while insisting that the miss of three key players in his side during the game had a negative impact to them.
“We tried our level best to get something from the match but our opponents, who won in the end, were equally better. For us, we need to watch out for the upcoming league matches,” he said.
Questioned to comment whether the goal scored by Kagere was an offside, Thierry said he was not in a better position to elaborate on that.
“I’m still asking myself how the third goal was scored. May be I will need to look at the replays,” he remarked.
Francis Kahata and Hassan Dilunga netted two goals for Simba in the opening half with Bigirimana Blaise scoring for Namungo to make the game 2-1 before half time.
In the second stanza, a spectacular long range effort by Lucas Kikoti levelled the match 2-2 before the current top goalscorer, Kagere pumped in the third goal on the day.
Coastal Union who are having a good ride in the league sit third on the log with 30 points from 17 matches after nine wins, three draws and five losses.
