Kimoto raises alarm over set-piece woes

SINGIDA: SINGIDA Black Stars coach Papy Kimoto has warned his side must urgently fix their weakness at set pieces despite securing a 4-2 victory against Polisi Tanzania, admitting that conceding from deadball situations has become a recurring problem.

Kimoto was pleased with the three points secured on home turf at Airtel Stadium in Singida on Saturday, but expressed concern over the manner in which his side conceded, revealing that goals from set pieces have become a recurring problem for the team.

“Today there were good things and less good things. The less good things were that we conceded goals from set pieces. That’s not good. It’s almost every match that we concede from set pieces, so we need to work a lot more on that,” Kimoto said.

The coach, however, found encouragement in other aspects of the performance, particularly his team’s possession and positioning, which he believes have improved compared with previous matches.

“In terms of possession, we were better compared to other matches, and our positioning and field coverage were much better,” he said.

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Kimoto believes the team still has room for improvement and is confident Singida can develop into a more compact and disciplined side as the season progresses.

“I know, I hope and I’m sure that we will progress further to become a very solid and compact team,” he said.

Attention now turns quickly to Tuesday, with Kimoto facing the challenge of managing his squad during a demanding schedule. He said the players will need to recover immediately while some changes are expected in the starting line-up as the technical bench looks to keep the squad fresh.

“We have no choice; everyone plays like this. It’s a tight schedule, so we have to ensure the players recover well starting tomorrow to be fresh for next Tuesday. We also need to rotate the team and we will do that,” Kimoto said. The coach also stressed the importance of collecting maximum points at home, particularly after Singida suffered a home defeat against Simba.

“We must secure points at home. We lost one home match against a big team like Simba, so we don’t plan on losing again anytime soon,” he said.

For Kimoto, the 4-2 victory has therefore provided both satisfaction and a warning. While the attacking display delivered three valuable points, the recurring vulnerability from set pieces remains an issue the coach knows must be solved quickly. “All of this gives us material to work on and reflect on, so we can try to field a very solid team for Tuesday,” he said.