By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Power Dynamos head coach Osward Mutapa has warned his players against complacency after their 2-1 victory over Trident FC, insisting the defending champions must improve their decision-making and concentration as they seek greater consistency in the MTN Transitional League.
Power secured maximum points at home on Sunday, but the victory did little to ease Mutapa’s concerns about his side’s overall performance, with the coach insisting there is still plenty of room for improvement despite the positive result.
The defending champions made a bright start when Joshua Mutale opened the scoring in the 10th minute, only for Trident to respond through Sam Sikasote in the 32nd minute.
Power eventually restored their advantage in the 60th minute, with Andy Boyeli finding the net to secure all three points.
However, Mutapa was unhappy with how his team allowed the visitors back into the contest, arguing that a lack of concentration after taking an early lead made the game more difficult than it needed to be.
“Like I alluded to before this game, we don’t need to show a lot of complacency. We scored early, but again, complacency came into play and made it difficult for ourselves. We couldn’t do the right thing when it was needed,” Mutapa said.
The coach also highlighted poor decision-making in both defensive and attacking situations, stressing that his players must show greater discipline and respect for their opponents if they are to avoid surrendering control of matches.
“We made decisions that were not right for the game of football. Even when it came to marking, when it came to attacking, in a game of football, you have to respect your opponents. If you don’t respect your opponents, that’s the situation we find ourselves in,” he said.
Although pleased with the result, Mutapa made it clear that the performance fell short of his expectations, with only a few individual displays earning his approval.
“Yeah, we needed the result. We need to show consistency in terms of the results that we get, and we are happy we have gotten the result. But in terms of the way we perform, only individual players we were able to pick from the results today,” he said.
Boyeli was among the standout performers, scoring his first goal since returning to the team. Mutapa believes the strike will provide a timely confidence boost for the forward, although he acknowledged that the player is still working towards full match fitness.
“It’s important for his confidence. He’s doing well, but still yet to be fully fit, but for me, he’s doing well,” he said.
The victory lifts Power Dynamos to fourth place in Stream A with six points, but the champions face a sterner test next when they travel to Mazabuka to take on unbeaten leaders FC MUZA.
With only three days to prepare, Mutapa knows his side must quickly address their shortcomings against an opponent that has won both of its home matches so far.
Despite acknowledging MUZA’s impressive start, the Power coach has set his sights firmly on victory, challenging his players to take the game to the league leaders.
“We have three days to prepare. We need to prepare for MUZA. They have been doing well. They have not lost a game. They have won twice at their turf, so we need to go there and win,” Mutapa said.
For Power Dynamos, the trip to Mazabuka presents an early opportunity to demonstrate that they can turn winning results into consistently convincing performances as they look to defend their status as champions.
