Simba Head Coach, Fadlu Davids, has said they have been deliberately provoking their players to ignite anger in them so that they can perform better ahead of the upcoming season.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam, he said that during their preparations in Egypt, he put the players under pressure—especially the new signings—to see if they could handle the demands of playing for a big club like Simba in front of hundreds and thousands of fans.
He said Simba is a big club that cannot afford to go too long without winning trophies, and therefore they have prepared well to face that challenge in the new season.
"In preparations, I did not only focus on playing matches for 90 minutes, but also on the intensity of the many games we will play. We will play every three days, travel long distances, so sometimes I put the players under pressure on purpose to get them fired up—especially the new ones—to see if they can cope with it."
"Will they be able to handle the noise from fans shouting at the coach to substitute a certain player? Will they withstand it or tremble? Or will they fight to show their ability?"
"That is exactly what I tell them they will encounter in the very first matches. Those who get through that will have passed the test," said Fadlu.
The coach admitted that some of the new players will not be present on Simba Day, September 10, at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, where the team will play against Kenya’s Gor Mahia.
"Some of our new players will not be there at all. They had been on duty with the national CHAN team and will continue with FIFA calendar matches, so these players might not be available on that day and won’t play on Simba Day."
"After that, we will only have a few days before heading into international competitions. My experience with big clubs like this is that the fixture list is always tough," said Fadlu.
