Can the Warriors knock Algeria off their stride?

The inclusion of Ovidy Karuru in the Warriors squad, the habitual goal scoring feats of Prince Dube in Tanzania and the perceived lack of commitment by Macauley Bonne have been some of the trendy topics occupying the media space in the last week. However with  Zimbabwe’s showdown against Algeria on the horizon focus has shifted to the task at hand.

Algeria will undoubtedly be the more prepared of the two sides after the North Africans had the opportunity of playing top class opposition in preparatory friendlies. The Desert Foxes claimed a 1 nil win over Nigeria before playing out a 2 all draw against Mexico.  Meanwhile Zimbabwe could only manage a hastily put together trip to Malawi in which the majority of players that took part were not included in the squad to face Algeria.

While Algeria will be the more prepared, the Warriors will as usual bank on the same spirit which saw them upset the Democratic Republic of Congo in their own backyard before scrapping off a draw at home in the last qualifying campaign. A similar type of attitude was evident when Zimbabwe shrugged off a disappointing start to their current Afcon campaign. After a frustrating nil all draw with Botswana, the Warriors turned on the style when a Khama Billiat brace helped Zimbabwe edge Zambia 2-1 in their own backyard.

Since then, there has been a change in personnel on the Warriors bench with Zimbabwe moving away from a home grown coach Joey Antipas, following the unveiling of Zdravko Logarusic who will need to secure positive results in order to earn the trust of Warriors fans.  

Apart from dealing with the threat posed by the Desert Foxes, Logarusic will have to make numerous crucial decisions. In between the posts Logarusic will have to pick between Tatenda Mukuruva and Elvis Chipezeze with Talbert Shumba  set to provide cover.

With Teenage Hadebe, Alec Mudimu and Tendayi Darikwa still around and part of the squad called up, the coming in of Jordan Zemura and Adam Chicksen provide further selection headaches for Zimbabwe’s new gaffer.

Knowledge Musona is expected to feature in his new attacking midfield role with Marshall Munetsi and Marvelous Nakamba key figures in breaking down Algerian attacks. The biggest headache though for Logarusic will be who will be left out in the Warriors attack. Tinotenda Kadewere has been in top form for Olympique Lyon while Prince Dube has emerged as the most consistent striker in Tanzania.

 A brief look at the Desert Foxes though suggests the dire need for Zimbabwe to consider the threat posed by Algeria in set piece scenarios. 50 percent of Algeria’s goals in their last two encounters have come from set pieces. While Riyad Mahrez will be a familiar name for Zimbabwe, the trickery of West Ham’s Said Benrahma is something the Warriors will have to think about with the pace of the Desert Foxes another crucial factor to consider in deciding whether to defend with a low block or a high block. Sitting deep could reduce the chances of Algeria exploiting the space behind the Zimbabwean defence but it will all boil down to whether Logarusic believes his backline will be able to match Algeria for pace.

After winning their first two Afcon qualifiers against Zambia and Botswana, the African champions will be favourites in the back-to-back ties but Zdravko Logarusic will be relishing the prospect of upsetting the North Africans.