The schooling of Ndiraya

22 Oct, 2017 - 00:10 0 Views
The schooling of Ndiraya

The Sunday Mail

What do football coaches Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa, David “Yogi” Mandigora and Antonio Conte all have in common?

In their own ways, all three schooled Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Tonderayi Ndirayi.

Conte’s 3-4-3 deployment led Chelsea to the 2016-2017 English Premier League soccer title and inspired Ndiraya to change Ngezi’s system from 3-5-2.

The gaffer fell in love with the 3-5-2 during his playing days at Dynamos, where Chidzambwa was the coach.

When Mandigora appointed him his assistant at Dynamos in 2015, it was the start of a coaching journey that has led Ndiraya to the brink of Castle Lager Premier Soccer League glory this season.

“Yogi said he didn’t want an assistant whose job was just to carry cones around. He urged me to research on the game and improve my technical awareness,” reveals Ndiraya.

“Mandigora even gave me time to work with the players even though I was the assistant and that really moulded me into the coach I am today.

“You know it’s rare to have a coach who trusts his assistants to such a degree in local football, but Yogi invested his trust in me and we worked really well together.”

Ndiraya has developed into a reputable coach with his platinum miners firmly in the title race.

On 57 points, Ngezi are just two points behind log leaders FC Platinum following last Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Chapungu.

Ndiraya feels destiny is in his team’s hands.

“The race will become clearer over the next three match days but for now it’s still tight. What’s interesting is that things are changing after every match day and that makes the whole scenario exciting,” he says.

Madamburo host Dynamos at the Baobab next weekend in a blockbuster clash that could decide the outcome of the 2017 Castle Lager PSL race.

After that they travel to Bulawayo to face relegated Bantu Rovers before hosting Chicken Inn in Week 32.

Another huge game awaits them against FC Platinum in the penultimate week before they conclude the 2017 programme with a home date against poor travellers Triangle

“It’s not going to be easy but that’s the situation and it demands that we have to be strong if we are to win the prize,” says Ndiraya.

Ndiraya opened up on what influences his technical calls.

“Mhofu is very good at interpreting formations and would break down the 3-5-2 formation in a way that left everyone at Dynamos understanding what it is all about, so I naturally fell in love with it.

“However, when Antonio Conte joined Chelsea he used 3-4-3 effectively and won the title and that became a major motivating factor to use it this season,” he said.

The Ngezi coach believes in a scientific approach and spends most of his time on the Internet studying the game in the serene environment of Mhondoro.

“There is ample time to concentrate on your job in this environment. Football has changed, it has gone scientific and you need modern ways of analysing performances of the team.

“We now have a performance tracking device and that’s is the standard the world over and I hope all other teams follow suit, funds permitting,” says Ndiraya.

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