Zimpapers Logo

Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe national team fitness trainer Gerald Maguranyanga says local players lack fitness and stamina needed to withstand the rigours and demands of football at the highest level in Europe. Maguranyanga, who has been in the fitness and conditioning business for over 20 years including stints with both national football and rugby teams, yesterday waded into the debate why Zimbabwean players struggles abroad despite the immense talent and potential.

He was reacting to the story carried by The Herald yesterday contrasting the fortunes of Zimbabwe national team skipper Knowledge Musona and Liverpool’s Brazilian hotshot Roberto Firmino who he played with at Germany’s TSG Hoffenheim when they both cut their teeth in European football in 2011.

The fitness guru said Zimbabwean players possessed natural gifts like pace and technique, but they usually don’t invest much in physical conditioning which is a major component for topflight football.

“We may talk of talent and technique, but there is a very important component that we should also look into for one to be a complete player. It’s called physical conditioning.

“Without that aspect a player should forget about Europe. If you dig deep you could be surprised to find out that Musona couldn’t cope with the demands of the training and playing regime in the Bundesliga. Remember Germany is one of the toughest leagues in Europe.

“As for Khama Billiat, I think he is just too small. Khama is probably the same height with Lionel Messi, but look at the Argentine’s features and try to compare with our own boy.

“Football at that level there is a concept called pre-habilitation, a form of strength training that prepares one to stand the rigours of the high intensity training.

“So it’s not only about the talent or the technique.

“I have worked with the national team several times and I can tell you the fitness of our players is shocking, it’s appalling. I wouldn’t want to use the word they are lazy, but these guys just don’t work for their careers. It was surprising some players couldn’t do 20 press-ups,” said Maguranyanga.

The fitness enthusiast said Zimbabwe has produced talents in the past including the likes of former captains Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari who went on to play at the big stage in Europe.

“I can tell you the most technically gifted players I have worked with in my life are Peter Ndlovu and Knowledge Musona. But Peter in addition to technique he was quick and that placed him at an advantage unlike Knowledge.

“The reason why Khama Billiat stands out in South Africa is because he is fast. His take off is super quick, it’s a natural gift that he probably never trained for.

“But Knowledge is not as quick, but his technique is out of this world. From my own experiences with the national team, sometimes I was tempted to think that Knowledge had an edge over Peter in terms of technique. The boy is just good.

“If only Knowledge was half as fit as Cristiano Ronaldo, I am sure we should be talking a different story now. He should have been high up there.

“Ronaldo is a very strong player who is way ahead of any player in the world. He is good yes, but when we talk of technique I wouldn’t rate him highly yet he is the best player at the moment. Why? Because he combines his talent and his strength well,” said Maguranyanga.