Barker explains Simba SC weaknesses despite TRA United win

Simba SC head coach Steve Barker admitted he was not satisfied with what he saw in the first half of their 3-0 Mainland Premier League victory against TRA United on Sunday.

The Msimbazi Reds scored the opener from the penalty spot in the 12th minute. Selemani Mwalimu, who was returning from injury, stepped up to make it 1-0 for Simba.

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Simba went into the half-time break enjoying a 1-0 lead. The second half saw TRA United remain tight at the back until the 67th minute when Neo Maema doubled Simba’s lead.

Yusuph Kagoma then ensured Simba carried the day with a third goal in the 88th minute. Despite the win, Barker confessed he was not impressed with the way his players lost the ball to the opponent.

‘We were losing a lot of balls’

“We were disappointed at half-time; we wanted to put a message across to the players, we were just giving the ball away too much, and wanted taking care of it, so, every time we did a transition, it was maybe a poor pass, or poor decision, and then we gave the ball away, and then we had to defend,” Barker told Pan-Africa Football.

“So, when you are attacking, and need to recover and then attack again, and recover, then it takes out our energy, so, it was just a matter of taking care of the ball with a little bit more discipline, and our position of play, which maybe we were lacking.

“First half, I thought we started the first 15 minutes very well, there was a good response from the opponents once they were 1-0 down. We have to handle such situations better, once we take the lead.

“But I thought in the second half we had a bit more control, we didn’t really allow our opponent too many box entries, we were quite comfortable, and the ball retention was a lot better, and hence we were able to get the second, and the third to win the game.”

Barker added: “It was a good win for us, it was a match we needed to win, so, I am happy with the result, but there are still a couple of areas of our performance that we need to keep improving.”

TRA lacked experience to challenge Simba

TRA United coach Etienne Ndayiragije blamed the defeat on lack of quality players to challenge Simba.

“We lacked the quality to go head-to-head with Simba. We missed our players Mzamiru Yassin (midfielder) and Chamou Karaboue (defence area), but if you are playing against a team like Simba, and you don’t dominate the ball, then you get punished,” said the Burundian coach.

“But all in all, the best quality won the game, and I congratulate Simba for the win. We lacked a leader at the back, and the quality to help defend and attack.”

The victory saw Simba leapfrog Azam to second spot with 31 points, seven fewer than champions and rivals Young Africans.