Lack Of Focus Reason Behind Upsurge In Goal-shy Strikers In The PSL - Soccer Pundits
There is concern among football followers and pundits over the impotence of Zimbabwean strikers in front of goal.
In the 2010 soccer season, Dynamos strike Norman Maroto scored 20 goals and since then, no striker has breached that mark.
ZIFA technical director Wilson Mtekede, who is also an accredited CAF coaches’ instructor is of the view that the death of the traditional centre-forward is a contributing factor among others. He said:
It’s a tricky situation in that there are a host of factors that could be contributing to that. In the yesteryear, players could easily bang in more goals in a season, but the system of play has changed.
The traditional number nine, who is an out-and-out striker, is no longer being used these days.
But again, that kind of striker, with the natural instinct to kill off a game at any given moment, does not come cheap. There is a genuine shortage from the conveyor belt, which is the junior development.
In the heyday, there used to be the likes of Moses Chunga, Gift Mpariwa, Maronga Nyangela, Shackman Tauro and many others. But that crop of self-driven players, who would put in extra training, was different from the succeeding generations.
Zimbabwean champions FC Platinum have been exposed in this year’s Total CAF Champions League. They have yet to hit the target in three matches up to date.
