Nees said the upcoming friendly matches are an opportunity to explore the depth of the squad.
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees says he will give “as many players as possible” game time when his new-look side take on Burkina Faso and Niger in international friendlies set for Morocco beginning this week.
The Warriors, who left the country on Sunday, arrived in Casablanca on Monday and immediately got down to business.
Nees said the upcoming friendly matches are an opportunity to explore the depth of the squad.
“We want to give as many players as possible game time in these two friendlies. We cannot say in advance who and which, but of course we want to give as many players as possible,” he said.
“We will play with a completely new midfield because all the players who are usually playing so far or starting in the midfield. So we have to work on it. Some players have finished the season, some are in mid-season, and there will also be from a loading aspect.
“We must look at how this will affect the setup of the team. We have some players who came back from a long injury as well, like Tino [Kadewere] or even Antonio [Bill], although he was already playing, he was not yet having 90-minute games. And of course, we have some newer players like Elvis [Chipezeze] or players who performed well in their clubs. We need to assemble a team very quickly and get a certain harmony, but we want to give as many players as possible a chance,” he said.
The atmosphere within the camp, despite the travel-induced fatigue, appears positive, according to Nees.
“Well, the mood looks to be very good. Everybody is a bit tired from the long trip. It’s quite a distance to travel to Morocco, but we settled in today. We still expect some players to arrive by tomorrow [Wednesday]. Today was a relaxed training session, nothing with the ball.
- “It would have been too stressful because they were sitting the whole day, the whole night in the plane. But the mood looks to be good, and of course, we have some new faces, some new players, and we want to see how they fit in and how we can assemble a competitive team for the Friday match and then, of course, the Tuesday one. In terms of team development, we want to integrate these new players,” he said.
In preparation for the friendly encounters against Burkina Faso and Niger on June 6 and 10, respectively, Nees has made some late adjustments to the Warriors squad.
Striker Terence Dzvukamanja of SuperSport United has been called up, replacing the injured Prince Dube.
Additionally, Highlanders midfielder Mason Mushore joins the squad in place of Ngezi Platinum midfielder Richard Hachiro, who is also sidelined due to injury.
Meanwhile, as the Warriors settle in Morocco, another Zimbabwean team is set to embark on their Cosafa campaign today against Mauritius in Bloemfontein, showcasing the breadth of Zimbabwean footballing endeavours.
Zimbabwe largely sent a youthful side to the regional championship as they look to assemble an Under-23 team that can play in the Olympic qualifiers next season.
The Zimbabwe men’s Under-20 national team football coach, Simon Marange, will be in charge of the Cosafa team.-iharare
