BY TERRY MADYAUTA
WARRIORS coach Zdravko “Loga” Logarušic is unfazed by the prospect of facing red-hot African champions Algeria, who are currently riding high on a 20-match unbeaten run ahead of the two teams’ back-to-back 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers next month.
The Croatian gaffer says he has been closely monitoring the Desert Foxes ahead of the qualifiers and reckons it will be a mammoth task for him to navigate past them, considering that he is yet to fully comprehend the full-strength Warriors squad.
During last week’s international break, the reigning African champions beat Nigeria 1-0 before holding one of world football giants Mexico 2-2 in Japan despite finishing the match with 10 men.
In stark contrast, Zimbabwe did not have the ideal preparations ahead of the big match after playing a goalless draw in a hastily organised friendly match against Malawi, where Loga fielded a largely makeshift squad.
Loga admits that he envies Algeria’s unbeaten record, which spans exactly two years since they lost 1-0 to Benin on October 16, 2018.
He emphasised that he would not focus on individuals such as Riyad Mahrez, but on their opponents as a unit.
“There is no doubt that Algeria are a good team. They are the current African champions. “Facing them is not an easy task for me as a coach.
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“Their team is good and there is a temptation of focusing and fearing their star players, but they move as a unit and for that, we are not focusing on individuals, but the team as a whole,” Loga said in an interview with Standardsport.
He said last Sunday’s tie against Malawi, which was his first in charge of the Warriors since his appointment in January, provided some positives despite the fact that he was not able to assess several Europe-based players he wanted.
“From the Malawi match, I feel the team has potential to produce more good results. Many senior players were not available for that match, but those who played showed character considering the small time frame we spent together and I am hopeful that next time, we will do even better,” he said.
Zifa’s failure to fully utilise last week’s Fifa international break leaves Loga facing an uphill task, against the rampant Algerians, but he is positive they will click and get a good result.
“Anything is possible for us, there is no team without challenges, so we just have to stay positive. This is a very important match and we have to grind a win at home and maintain that form when we play away so that we keep up,” he said.
“My job here is to get results that help the team go to Afcon and win all its matches and I am confident to achieve more with the right support from all responsible stakeholders.”
