JOHANNESBURG - Baroka coach Wedson Nyirenda is targeting a top eight finish in his debut season in the Absa Premiership.
The Zambian has signed a two year deal with Baroka after vacating his position as the head coach of the his country’s national team.
He has replaced Doctor Khumalo, who took charge in the last few games for Bakgaga last term after the club sacked coach Kgoloko Thobejane.
Speaking with the media after his first assignment in the Absa Premiership, a 1-0 loss to AmaZulu on Saturday, Nyirenda made it clear that his target is to qualify for the MTN8.
“The target is simple, we need to get in to the top eight, we have to be in that bracket. We must,” Nyirenda explained with the confidence that belied the fact he is in charge of a team that is regularly in the throes of relegation and will have to show major improvement to accomplish that mission.
But Nyirenda is not just dreaming, he even has a plan on how to achieve the target he has set himself.
The former Kaizer Chiefs striker believes only a good showing in the first half of the season will do. “We need to get to over 30 points in the first 15 games. I believe that is a possibility,” he added.
But the Limpopo side will need to punch well above their weight to achieve the goal set by their coach. For one, they will have to start complementing their enterprising play with some creativity, urgency and killer instinct in the final third.
“It’s not an easy league. You need to have good players. You can be a good mechanic but without good spares you can’t work.
“So, you need to have good players. This is a very competitive league but there’s a lot of spaces in the opposition half. If we can work on our tempo, I believe we will be a force to be reckoned with,” he elaborated.
This past Saturday 04th of August we met with @AmaZuluFootball
We went out and did our best unfortunately our best was not enough.
It is now time to regroup, analyze our mistakes and get ready for our next game on Wednesday against @CapeTownCityFC pic.twitter.com/ZSkkKw7Mdm
— Baroka Football Club (@Baroka_FC) August 6, 2018
Baroka won’t have too much time to dwell on the loss to Usuthu as they host Cape Town City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday.
“We will work hard to rectify our mistakes. I can’t say much about Cape Town City because I will offload everything," Nyirenda said.
"I like the character of my team. We are looking good. It is a team of many young players. We need to work on our finishing. We had good scoring chances but we failed to convert them. We need to be patient in front of goal.”
@Minenhlecr7