View From The Terraces
With Martin Muleya
Manica Diamonds turned up late for their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match day against Hardrock, undercooked and under siege.
But left Greenfuel arena with a point.
In any other context, a 0-0 draw with Hardrock FC would be forgettable. Given the week the Gem Boys have had, it borders on defiance.
After barely training all week due to the salary strike, Manica Diamonds arrived ‘a few minutes after 1500hrs’ for a 1500hrs kickoff. No warm-up, no tactical preparation, straight into the match against Hardrock side sitting 2nd with 18 points. FIFA protocols allow a 30-minute grace period before a walkover is awarded and Manica Diamonds used almost all of it.
That they escaped with a 0-0 scoreline says two things; Hardrock were wasteful and the Gem Boys showed a siege mentality. When your job is unpaid and your club tried to fire you last week, parking the bus becomes a form of protest.
The log table doesn’t lie, but it hides the pain.
*Manica Diamonds:18th position, two points from 8 games. That is 0.25 points per game. Relegation form.
*Hardrock FC: 2nd position, 18 points from 8 games. That is 2.25 points per game. Title chasing form.
One point does not move Manica Diamonds off the bottom. It does not stop the bleeding. Psychologically, avoiding a walkover and then denying Hardrock three points will feel like a win in the dressing room. But the gap to safety is already 7+ points.
Saturday’s makeshift 11 players laid bare AMV’s biggest on-field problem; there is no depth.
- Goalkeeper: Overworked but solid, 6 saves with three from inside the box. There is need for a back-up keeper with PSL experience. One injury and it would be a crisis.
- Defence: Deep block, 9 men behind the ball. Cleared 27 balls with no attacking outlet. There is need for fullbacks who can carry the ball. Centre-backs who are comfortable in possession.
- Midfield: No control. Hardrock had 68% possession. Zero shots on target for Manica Diamonds. Again there is need for a ball-winner and a passer. Right now it is all destroyers, no creators.
- Attack: One touch in Hardrock’s box all game. There is need for a target man to hold play up. Pace on the counter. The team cannot transition just like that.
- Bench: only three substitutes were used, all like-for-like in minute 85+.
AMV spoke about ‘professionalizing’ with camps and gyms. That is long-term, this squad has 13-14 PSL- level players. The rest are juniors or squad fillers. When you do not train all week, those margins become chasms. Fatigue hit at 60th minute and Hardrock should have punished it.
Ngezi Platinum are next, 4th on the log, physical and ruthless at Baobab. If Manica Diamonds arrive late again, it will be 3-0 by half time. Here is what must change in 7 days:
- AMV must pay the players even partially. Footballers Union of Zimbabwe’s (FUZ) talks must yield cash. No player runs for a club that owes him four months. AMV cannot build culture on empty promises.
- Residential camp means nothing if sessions are not happening. The strike broke trust. AMV must rebuild it before tactics matter.
- PSL allows 5 additions outside the window. AMV needs a midfielder who can pass and a striker with PSL experience even on short deals.
- Until fitness returns, Manica Diamonds are a counter attack/set-piece team. On Saturday they had 2 corners and wasted both. Ngezi will not give you many.
- The captain’s armband must go to someone who can manage the crisis. Senior players need to shield juniors from the noise.
AMV’s letter last week said the senior team showed ‘a lack of professional commitment’. Last Saturday the same players showed professional defiance by turning up at all. The new owners have investment, but football is not balance sheet. You cannot disband a squad in May, and you cannot expect a camp and new kits to erase four months of arrears.
The 0-0 with Hardrock boys buys AMV time. It does not buy them points, it does not buy them legitimacy. Ngezi will be the real audit. If Manica Diamonds arrive on time, train this week and compete, then maybe AMV’s ‘new vision’ has a pulse. If not, that point at Greenfuel arena will look like the exception that proved the rule; a club in freefall.
