Oliviera lauds Simba’s brilliance
SIMBA Head Coach Roberto Oliviera has cherished his charges’ winning consistency while Singida Big Stars trainer Hans Van Pluijm blamed a lack of tactical discipline for the loss.
The Msimbazi Street Reds registered a sweet 3-1 win over the Singida-based club in a Premier League match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Friday and the victory earned Simba 53 points from 22 matches.
Jean Baleke, Saidi Ntibazonkiza, and Pape Sakho each netted a goal on the day to make their side bag maximum points on the home turf as they keep ascending to the top of the table.
For the visitors, Bruno Gomez netted the consolation goal via a smartly taken set-piece which was too hot for Simba shot-stopper Aishi Manula.
The nosedive means Singida Big Stars have never won a game at the 60,000-capacity venue where they suffered a 4-1 loss to Young Africans in the first round of the season.
“For a big club like Simba, winning consistency is very important and I am happy with the way my players played today (Friday) and they have understood fast my philosophy.
“I have a good group of players and my style of play is offensive. Wherever I go to coach, I go for offensive play and I am also convinced with the confidence in my players,” said Oliviera who has won three straight league matches with Simba.
He also hailed brilliant performances from Clatous Chama and Ntibazonkiza saying they played well on the day including the entire unity of the team insisting that they all played well to stamp success.
Furthermore, the Brazilian coach reiterated that football for him is an art while lauding Simba fans for always supporting the team.
On his part, Pluijm commented that some of his charges on the day lacked tactical discipline a thing he said highly contributed to their downfall but called on his men to come back stronger.
“We did not defend well in the midfield and all the time we were too late to make positive decisions. In terms of preparations, we prepared very well for this game but we gave Simba too much respect.
“I am disappointed with the outcome so are my players because we work very hard for this match whose final results have not gone our side,” said Pluijm who stamped a 1-1 draw when they met in the first-round duel.
He also seized the platform to declare that their target this season is to finish in the top four in order to claim a chance of competing in the CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC).
In an early match on Friday, Tanzania Prisons were held to a goalless draw by Mtibwa Sugar at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya.
