Why Karuru’s inclusion was a necessity

The inclusion of Ovidy Karuru in the Warriors squad was among major talking points following the announcement of Zimbabwe’s squad to face Algeria in back to back Afcon qualifier encounters, serving as yet another indicator regarding the shortage of attack minded central midfielders.

While Logarusic is spoilt for choice in the defensive midfield position where Marshall Munetsi and Marvelous Nakamba give the Warriors a fair measure of stablility it is however the attacking midfield position which continues to pose problems for Zimbabwe.

Save for Karuru, the other attacking midfield player available is Knowledge Musona who is being used in that role by KAS Eupen in the Belgian topflight. Save Musona who has had a smooth transition into a midfield role, there does not appear to be too many options available for the Croat.

In a brief telephone chat with accredited match analyst Kudzai Chitima, Ovidy appeared an obvious choice despite his club inactivity, “It is a really difficult situation for the coach, If you look at Karuru he is an intelligent player that has the ability to break the lines and make it difficult for opposition. When coming up against a side playing two defensive midfielders you need a player that is able to penetrate and play between the opposing defense and midfield. This is what Karuru can give to the team, yes he does not have a team but we do not have many options”.

With Zimbabwe in dire need of more attacking midfielders in the mould of Ronald Sibanda and Johannes Ngodzo, fans may perhaps need to put themselves in the shoes of Logarusic as he gears up for two crucial back to back ties against Algeria.

Author: Francis Nyamutsamba

Credentials: 2018/2019 Sports Journalist of the year, former sportscaster at ZBC and founder of Zim Soccernet

Qualifications: Holder of a B.A Media Studies, Mass Comm Diploma, Level 2 Football coaching certificate, Goalkeepers coaching certificate & Advanced Sports Management Diploma