Logarusic: We can turn the tables on ENPPI
Speaking to the Confederation of African Football website, Gor Mahia coach Zdravko Logarusic believes his side has what it takes to over turn what seems to be an uphill task when they host Egyptian side ENPPI in the first round, return leg match of Orange CAF Confederation Cup at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday. Gor Mahia fell 3-0 to ENPPI in Cairo a fortnight ago and despite all the odds, Logarusic insists the team have the spirit to put up a fight to qualify for the next round of the continental tourney. Logarusic spoke to Cafonline.com ahead of Saturday’s match.
Cafonline.com: How prepared is your team ahead of Saturday’s match ?
Logarusic: 100 percent ready. I say we are more than ready because we have prepared well since facing ENPPI in the first leg match. I never give up and I will not start giving up today. It may seem like a mountain to climb and a mission that is not possible but we are determined to take it head on. Of course we cannot assume the fact that it is not going to be an easy day for us but we are determined to win the match and qualify for the next stage at all costs.
Cafonline.com: What do you make of the ENPPI side in general?
Logarusic: ENPPI is a strong side who will throw everything into the match. Currently they lead the Egyptian table meaning they are playing better than Zamalek or Al Ahly. They have good players. They scored two goals from dead ball situations, one from a corner kick and another from a free-kick. The players are convinced it’s not over for us and they have assured me they are still in it. We have looked at where we did wrong and rectified the mistakes, we are not out yet. For us, we want to makeKenya proud. We want to show the rest of Africa that football is not only big in North or West or Southern Africa. Kenya also has immense talent and that is what we want to show to the rest of Africa on Saturday.
Cafonline.com: How are you doing with regards to injuries going into the match?
Logarusic: The injuries to key players have really affected our season both in continental and local competitions. Rama (Salim) and Moses (Odhiambo) are yet to fully recover from injuries. Mungai (Kiongera) is also struggling, and in-case they fail to recover; I will give other players an opportunity and change a few things to our system to contain ENPPI. Besides the injured trio, Ugandan forward Dani Sserunkuma is struggling for form while other new signings including Nigerian striker Abbey Natty is yet to fully convince the technical bench of his capabilities.
Cafonline.com: What is your message to Kenyan fans particularly those of GorMahia (the Green Army), ahead of the match on Saturday?
Logarusic: We will be playing against a good side that is currently top of the Egyptian league, a team with a budget that is ten times more than ours and whose coach earns USD 22,000 (Sh. 2 million) a month, but am asking my players to use this as a motivator when we square out. If we don’t concede, we have a chance. It means the fans should play their part and motivate the team. We are not giving up until the final whistle.
well said..now go for it and deliver!!!All the best to the team.As fans,we will play our part!!
I believe the coach that we can turn the table on ENNPI FC . Even if we dont turn tables on ENNPI let us atleast beat them 1-0 or 2-0 so that even if they go back to egypt they will have known Gor K’ogalo with our rich history.I’m sure that Gor is older than this club except that they r a rich club due to the capability of their sponsors.
It will only be over after 90 minutes or even after 120 minutes, who knows. Sir God will hear our prayers. In football there is a winner and a looser but we can make it. Go……KOGALO………GO. We are fully behind you regardless of the out come.
A mountain to climb but let us just remain hopeful. A win of any sort will still make us proud. Best wishes.
Accept other players,don’t only believe in this injured players. you have a big team, you may even use Mutiso, M30 and Abbey, you will get result.
Statistical odds are heavily against you. But all the same, best of luck. On a side note, reliable sources are telling me that the current rush of “injuries” at gor are nothing but a go slow by the players. My source has it that the players want to be compensated the same as their colleagues at the other top 5 teams. If this is the case, then for sure gor will be roasted on Saturday….oopps you cant roast milk. Lets just say gor will be fermented on saturday (if these allegations are true)
ingo@4…Take your rubbish where it belongs…AFC.If i were you i would be more worried about your poor performance than what is happening in Gor!oh sorry,i forgot,Afc is not a team to talk about anymore these days….we deal with other big performing teams like Tusker and Sofa….
Ingo@4. Let AFC put its house in order before you can poke your nose in Gor’s affairs. Can’t you even see that AFC is going down the drain even with all the financial support they are getting from Mumias!
All the best Logarusic and all our players. But please do the talking on the pitch. Off late you have been appearing quite often on the media, which is more to your disadvantage as the head coach of Gor Mahia F.C.
Your performance is already under reality check and if you talk less and post good result; the better it will be for both you and the club stakeholders.
Odhis & Odhis @#5 &@#6…..im just communicating what my sources are telling me. Like I said, the story is that some of the players are faking injuries and demanding to be paid the same as players in the top 5 teams . Now where does AFC come in all this?
In the top 5 are KCB, Muhoroni, Thika, Chemo and Sofa. So the players want to be paid like Muhoroni who are currently looking for a sponsor to pay them. For our info even a stable team like Tusker is not paying any higher than AFC which was felled by Muho and Sher who are not well-off. Anyway, he who needs more money can join AFC or even Sofapaka.
I still believe the players are injured and those who want more money will not be looking at the top 5 in TPL but either across the EAC border or even abroad and this can only be by shining in the local league with its DStv coverage
DAN @#9 ……No. They are reffering to the top 5 teams from last season. The top 5 teams in the current league will change from week to week
So if you are paid US$ 22,000 you will “deliver” C’mon Coaches that statement was uncalled for and is neither here nor there. In 1987 we won the Mandela Cup beating clubs with bigger budgets and better paid coaches. And ,if I may ask,what is the difference between your salary and that of the assistant coach. Wacha excuses give us beautiful soccer and goals.
Remember the Desiderata poem
…….If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself………
BEST OF LUCK ON SATO MIGHTY K’GALO, A MIRACLE CAN STILL HAPPEN
Ooh Laa la!! “Technical & Financial intelligence”
@ Comrade ODUOR 12, Our coaches the one maverick Logarusic’s statements are spot ON. He has done his home work perfectly and if i were to score him between [1 — 10]; i will give him 9.5 points, he has a clear understanding of his opponents current status in their local league and their financial power.
1. He understands his opponents strength from both the technical and financial aspects; inclusive of his counterpart salary. To me that is a clever way of spying and thereafter you can envisage and plan on how to prosecute them accordingly.
2. He also knows very well that the Egyptians are one of the football power-house in the continent and he can not let his troops to bend so low and play second fiddle. That is why he must make us hope for the best irrespective of the prevailing circumstances and motivate his players and let them know that “It is not yet over until after the full 180 minutes of play”.
3. He is also deriving his motivation from the recent performance of “Harambee stars” against the “Super Eagle” and as such he would like to intimidate the opponents using home ground advantage.Hapo ni SAWA.
THAT IS MY TAKE. ALL THE BEST LOGA & THE CREW.
From the last top 8 game played on wednesday 3rd futaa.con cofirms that the total amount raised from gate collection is Ksh 6,800. So tell me if these money is supposed to run developing talents which to me has failed and award 1m to the winner, how do you think they will raise the amount if not from Afc and Gor games.
Seeing is believing……when was the last time gor mahia won 3 goals to nil.
We cannot score from free kicks, poor in corner kicks……………Surely, if we cant beat a local premier league club by that margin, what makes us think we can beat a technically well grilled side by 4goals to nil. I will go for a 1 – 1 score line and that is the truth, the whole truth !!!!!
@ Jakoyo the last time we scored 3-0 was just recently when we spanked Anse Re-union 5-0 and that was a record. Kiongera scored from a dead ball during the pre-season KPLC supercup against Sofapaka. Rama Salim scored a hat trick against KCB last year if you can remember. We beat City Stars 4-0 last year that is on record.Sserekuma scored one of best goals from a short corner while playing AFC in our return leg last year. And Anguyo headed in that title chasing goal against SoNy if you can recall. Ram headed in a corner against Ulinzi during the Top 8 final last year, it is true.
SO IF BELIEVING IS SEEING THEN I DO BELIEVE IN K’OGALO.
Jakoyo as a respected former footballer you will agree with me that circumstances have changed and the dynamic in soccer dictates that there is no team which is just a walk in the park at the moment.
We have been struggling to beat “Slum boys” for close to three seasons and this time round we got one better than them. Ask Omusala and he will agree that Chemelil and Karuturi are AFC bogey boys and this jinx are expected in soccer world wide. So is Arsenal against Swansea or Stoke city, or Man U against Sunderland or Everton last year.
Why did Real Madrid and Barca play to a draw with the bottom tables team in La Liga the past weekend.
PROPER PLANNING AND TACTICAL ANALYTICAL APPROACH PAYS WHEN WE ARE JUST PATIENT WITH WHAT IS TRULY OURS.
For the God in heaven on behalf of the Gor Mahia aka kogalo mayienga fertenity i thank u for giving us victory over the pharaoh boys on saturday just the way u did to the israelites during the times of moses. I believe and trust in Jesus name more than the TNA that Gor mahia has gone through to round 3 having convincingly won the game. So together with the ancestorial spirits do hear and accept my prayers thru ur son JESUS CHRIST
Amen and Amen. How I wish the coach said “We shall turn tables…” instead of “We can turn tables…”.
@Jakoyo, if u think that Gor cannot beat ENNPI, Y dont u support ENNPI on sato so that u can be happy if K’ogalo fails to beat ENNPI. WE R MOTIVATING OUR PLAYERS TO RISE TO THE OCASSION & GIVE ENNPI A RUN 4R THEIR MONEY & U R DEGRADING THEM THAT THEY CANNOT.I understand most players r neither fans nor supporters, if u r a former player, y dont u keep ua comments 2 uaself.we know that K’ogalo will triumph regardless of ua perseptions.
K’Ogalo 4rever
Just a few years ago we believed that Sofapaka could not bear Ismailia and some of us who were in the stadium so what determination on the local side did to them.
As fans we need to believe that we can do it and it will happen. You don’t go to a ‘fight’ feeling beaten and expect to triumph.
We will be there to witness whether Gor will do something or not. Let’s all remember that the dynamics of a local league game are very different from those of a continental game. Just like a derby where there are no winners untill the final whistle irrespective of the form of the other team.
I believe we will beat ENNPI though I’m not sure if the win will be good enough for us to progress
Yes Mahia means invincible. They can if Kiongera,Lavasa,DAN,Moses ar combining well. The cohesion is what is lacking. Go go kogalo!