SuperSport United forward Terrence Dzvukamanja has opened up the weight of expectations in the absence of striker Bradley Grobler.
Grobler is out due to a long term injury, something that leaves Dzvukamanja as the team’s mainstay in attack.
The 36-year-old Grobler has been a reliable goal-getter for the Gavin Hunt-coached side. Last season, he scored 11 goals across all competitions for the Pretoria-based side.
Undoubtedly, his absence leaves Hunt with a thin department to select from. In their season opener in the Betway Premiership, they failed to register a goal, falling 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns.
In his forward line, coach Hunt threw Dzvukamanja and newly-signed Nokutenda Mangezi into the fray.
How they fared was a rather rude awakening to the former Orlando Pirates man, Dzvukamanja, on what will be expected from him this season.
Dzvukamanja himself is hoping to turn a corner in his career after failing to meet expectations last season. He scored five goals, of which three were in the Nedbank Cup, with one each in the league and the MTN8.
WHAT DZVUKAMANJA SAID
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is confident of better strides this season despite a false start. Dzvukamanja wants to make sure Grobler’s absence is not felt.
In an interview with FARPost, Dzvukamanja said, “Naturally, pressure is there in football. There is no doubt that Bradley is a great striker. Without him, it might not be the same, but we are working to make sure it’s better.
“Since he is injured, a lot will be expected from us strikers because he has been vital to us. I’ve been here before. But to be honest, I am focusing on us as a team so that we can fill the gap together. It’s a very big gap.
“Scoring goals cannot be counted as a one-man effort. We do it together. On my own, I acknowledge that so much will be expected from me since Bradley is injured.”
Dzvukamanja added: “This season, we will do better because last season, a lot of travelling affected us. We were in the CAF Confederation Cup.
“There was a lot of travelling, so that was very difficult on us. We were using a stadium in Polokwane, so that cost us physically. We also had a smaller squad. But this time, I believe we have a bigger squad.”
Meanwhile SuperSport are keen to beef options in the attacking department as they hope to lure Zakhele Lepasa back to the club. They are also in talks with Samir Nurkovic who is a free agent after parting ways with TS Galaxy.
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