Coaches demand sharpness

DAR ES SALAAM: YOUNG Africans and Simba have been left with an early warning to sharpen their attacking play after contrasting assessments from their coaches following Yanga’s 1-0 Community Shield victory.

The result gave Yanga the first piece of silverware of the season, but both coaches identified attacking sharpness as an area requiring improvement before the league campaign gathers pace.

Yanga coach Manqoba Mngqithi was pleased with his side’s control and work rate but admitted they were not clinical enough in the final third. “We could have created more scoring opportunities, but we did not take them,” Mngqithi said.

He felt Yanga had controlled much of the contest and praised the players for following their tactical instructions, particularly when Simba increased the pressure in the latter stages.

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The coach explained that his substitutions were designed to close down Simba’s attacking threat, with Mohamed Hussein and Chadrack Boka helping to quieten the left channel, while Max was moved to deal with the threat on the right.

Allan Okello was introduced late to help Yanga retain possession. Mngqithi’s biggest concern, however, was the team’s decision-making in attacking areas. He said they needed to improve their execution in the final third despite what he regarded as an otherwise dominant display.

For Simba coach Steve Barker, the defeat was equally frustrating, although his assessment focused on a lack of attacking fluidity and match sharpness.

“Second half came out, I thought we just maybe lacked a little bit of fluidity, especially in going forward and in attack,” Barker said.

Barker believed Simba had started strongly, dominating possession, territory and chances during the opening 20 to 25 minutes. However, he said several loose passes allowed Yanga to regain momentum before half-time.

After the break, Simba struggled to reproduce the attacking threat of the opening stages and only began to look capable of finding an equaliser during the final 10 minutes.

Barker acknowledged that Yanga had dealt with key moments better, while also arguing that Simba are still short of their best physical and competitive sharpness.

“I don’t believe we are 100 per cent at our sharpest right now,” Barker said. The Community Shield therefore served as both a trophy contest and a useful test ahead of the league commencement. Yanga will begin their title defence tomorrow against Namungo, while Simba face Kagera Sugar on Sunday, giving both giants an immediate opportunity to address the attacking issues exposed in the Shield.