Caf Champions League: How Simba SC used research to progress - Barbara

BetOdds CAF Champions League Al Ahly v Simba Simba Al Ahly

The club’s CEO reveals how they have invested a lot to study their key opponents before every match in the Caf competition

Simba SC official Barbara Gonzalez has revealed one reason why they have performed extremely well in the Caf Champions League in this campaign.

When the Msimbazi giants qualified for the group stage of the competition, the team set a target of reaching at least the semi-finals after being drawn in Group A alongside African champions Al Ahly, As Vita Club of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Al Merrikh of Sudan.

Simba went ahead to surprise many after they topped the group on 13 points to qualify for the quarter-finals and according to the club’s CEO Gonzalez, the main reason they have performed well is their ability to analyse opponents before meeting them.

Barbara said this season she decided to invest in researching dangerous players of the opposing team and the team as a whole, which is why she hired some special coaches for the job.

She also states she uses her network well to research and has always been getting positive feedback that helps them to plan well before any match.

Barbara insisted football is a great science that requires in-depth research to get what you need, which is why there have been times when it has been easy to see players like, Luis Miquissone and Clatous Chama play in a particular system based on research.

“I have said in the past that this season I have invested more in 'analysis' research, to be able to identify the opponent's ability and what player is dangerous for our opponent, that’s why I hired someone to do the job and most of the time I was using networks,” Barbara said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“Football is a science-driven game and you need science to analyse issues, so by using our personal analysis you can know how to plan and direct your players to play, you can tell Shomari [Kapombe], Joash [Onyango] to play like this because you have studied well and understood what kind of person you are dealing with.”

Simba started their group matches with a 1-0 away win against AS Vita in DR Congo before they returned home to shock Al Ahly 1-0 and then travelled to Sudan where they secured a 0-0 draw against Al Merrikh.

Al Merrikh then travelled to face Simba at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium where they suffered a 3-0 thumping. Then Simba beat AS Vita 4-1 - it was the first time they conceded a goal in the group.

On Friday night, the Mainland Premier League champions suffered their first defeat in the group after losing by a solitary goal to Al Ahly away in Cairo.

Simba will now await the quarter-finals draw where they will play either Chabab Belouizdad (Algeria), Mouloudia Algiers (Algeria), or Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa).

2021-04-12 10:00:08

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