MBABANE – It will not be an easy journey.
That is the story of Manzini Wanderers new coach Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe, who will be hoping to change the fortunes at the struggling hub giants, when the MTN Premier league returns next month. Many supporters of the maroon and white outfit are of the opinion that the only person capable to save the team from the dreaded relegation axe is ‘Crooks’. The Times Sports Desks highlights some of the changes that the experienced gaffer needs to make in the club while he tries to steer the sinking Wanderers ship out of the danger zone.
Stability in the goalkeeping department
Nyanga should decide who should be the number one goalkeeper in the team first, as this is one of the most crucial positions. There has been a lot of chopping and changing in the Wanderers goalkeeping for quite a while now, and this will not give stability to the team’s defence. Bongiswa ‘Romario’ Dlamini and Sitali Nyambe have all been rotated during the current campaign as the technical team struggled to find its permanent first-choice goal custodian to be trusted in keeping clean sheets for the club.
Bring back hunger and winning mentality
Wanderers players’ winning mentality and ability to challenge for major honours have become questionable in the last few years. The Hub giants have more than a decade without winning a major trophy and they have often looked like a team lacking ambition on the pitch. The players tend to drop their heads when the chips are down and you rarely see the Weslians come from behind to win matches after conceding first. The new sheriff in town needs to instil a winning mentality within the Wanderers camp. He also needs to instil a winning mentality within his players so that they keep persevering and fighting when the odds are stacked against them.
Wanderers must score more goals
This is probably the most obvious statement of all time, but someone had to say it. A lack of attacking cutting-edge is what has defined Manzini wanderers so far in the 2022-23 season. Wanderers have scored just 13 goals in 19 MTN Premier League matches, and that’s not acceptable for the maroon and white side.
Change the midfield configuration
Easier said than done, of course, but it is clear that the midfield has been a major problem area for Wanderers, particularly since the departure of Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini, who left to join fierce rivals, Mbabane Swallows. The partnership of Thando Dlamini and Sibonginkosi‘Gudas’ Dlamini is not working. The duo is perhaps lacking fitness, and certainly is not sharp enough to manage different phases of play. Majahasibili ‘Giggs’ Ndlovu, who came in, during the 3-0 defeat in Wanderers last game against Swallows, also appeared to have lost energy and focus in the second period, again leaving the hub giants looking vulnerable. Perhaps a player like Mlamuli ‘Mlaba’ Nkambule should be played back in his natural position.
Get Gudas back in the team
‘Gudas’ has been one of the rare bright points for Wanderers this season, with his composed play in the defence, giving the hub giants some extra poise when going forward. The player is currently away in the club, with allegations that he is owned salaries dating back from last year. The coach needs to do his best in recalling the player back to the team and build his team around the former Mbabane Highlanders midfield maestro, who on his day can cause a lot of problems for many midfielders in the league.
Fix defence
Manzini Wanderers leaky defence could well be part of the reason why the club has not enjoyed much success in the past 10 years in the MTN Premier League. The club’s bad defence saw former coach, Terisayi Changara even shifting midfielder, Mlamuli ‘Mlaba’ Nkambule to help because of the goals the team was conceding in every match in the league. The new combination of ‘Mlaba’, Sihle Mkhonta and Sandile Mhlanga has not clicked, which clearly has been shown in games that their defence can be easily be by-passed and needs some serious work to change the club’s fortunes.
Fickle fans
The prodigal son knows the history of the club, as he should. His target will be to settle the nerves of an impatient bunch of die-hard supporters, and he would not have time with the team supporters expecting him to get the ball running in his first game back in the club. The experienced veteran gaffer will be against a tricky Madlenya outfit, who lost 1-0 in the first round next weekend and he needs to win that game to gain the trust of the supporters. Nyanga has got himself into a stressful job and if results are not coming, he will need more than his charm to win over the fickle fans to be able to stay for the duration of his contract.
Fix internal squabbles
The known fact with the hub giants are that they are currently facing financial struggles, which are one of the obvious reasons the team has found itself having a bad season. Manzini Wanderers Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Diana Girlie Johnson and her Management Committee (MC) need to find the solutions on how the team can attract a sponsor that will be able to help the team in the last seven games of the league. The reality is that it will be hard to see many positive changes in the team while the big issue that involves paying the players their salaries is still not sorted.
Conclusion
The road will not be easy for the former Mbabane Swallows mentor and if the MC, together with the players, will not be on the same wavelength with the gaffer, things will continue to be the same for the hub giants. The coach had previously in our publication revealed that he was going to save the club from relegation, but this would not be the case if he will be the only one making the effort of steering back the hub giants to greater heights.