It is often said a league season is similar to a marathon race. The competitors begin bunched up at the start line but as the kilometres pass the weak fall by the wayside until we are left with one very sweaty winner. Things are getting interesting here in Lesotho; here are the talking points from the weekend's premiership action.
LCS and LDF are looking like the real deal
LCS and LDF are looking ominous. Yesterday LCS thumped Maduma 5-1 while Sohle-Sohle overcame Bantu 2-1 in the weekend’s big game. The two so-called “government teams” are now tied at the top of the table and have opened a four point gap on third-placed Linare. However it is LCS who are really raising eyebrows. Masheshena are on a five-match winning streak and their 5-1 display against Maduma was the second in successive weeks after LCS thumped Mabeoana by the same score last weekend.
Matlama are finding the light and could be LCS and LDF’s real challengers
Autumn has brought hope for the champions. As always seems to be the case with Matlama success brought chaos, and within three months of the season’s kickoff Tse Putsoa had parted ways with two coaches. But there is a different mood in the air around Pitso Ground and the excitement of their Caf Champions League 2-1 home win over SuperSport United has boosted the Maseru Glamour Boys.
A 2-0 win over LMPS on Saturday lifted Matlama right back into the title mix. Matlama have two games in hand and victories in both would leave them three points behind LCS and LDF. With Linare and Bantu flattering to deceive Tse Putsoa are beginning to look like the only real challengers to LCS and LDF.
Matlama are second only to LCS in the form table having collected 11 points from a possible 15. This run has been based on an impressive defensive record. Tse Putsoa have only conceded two goals in the six matches since the arrival of Mahao Matete as coach last November. Goals may win matches but defence wins championships.
Lioli have a future
Another giant that has had a rough time is Lioli and last week Tse Nala parted ways with coach Halemakale Mahlaha after a poor run that saw them plummet into the relegation dogfight. Nevertheless the 2008/09 champions have assembled an exciting group of young talent led by Makoanyane XI rising star Montoeli Sonopo. Were it not for wayward finishing and some bad luck Thabile Secker’s reign as coach would have got off to a winning start against Likhopo on Saturday, instead Lioli had to settle for a goalless draw in a match they bossed.
Winning the league or finishing in the top four is now beyond Tse Nala, but should they manage to remain in the Premier League Lioli have a group of players that will turn a few heads next season.
Swallows, Mphatlalatsane and Mabeoana all looked doomed…
There may be 11 matches of the season still to go but Swallows, Mphatlalatsane and Mabeoana already look like they will be playing first division football next year. Between them they have only won four out of 44 matches. Perhaps they are unlucky. Four of the 14 teams will be relegated at the end of the season as part of the process to cut the league down to 12 teams. With 29 percent of the league's teams to be axed at the end of the season the Lesotho Premier League is statistically the toughest league in the world – relegation-wise that is.
Lerotholi Polytechnic could join them…
Lihale have always been one of the great entertainers of Lesotho football but the 1996 Independence Cup winners find themselves in the final relegation spot. Last season Lerotholi finished just one point above the dreaded axe and the highest the students have finished in the past five years is seventh in the 2007/08 season, but even then Lihale were still only eights points above the relegation zone. These stats coupled with Lihale's usual inconsistency this season unfotunately make them prime candidates for the drop.
Last season Rovers, the team of the National University of Lesotho and league champions in 1996, were relegated. Maybe it shows student teams can no longer compete in Lesotho's elite league...
Weekend results
Saturday (05/03): Likhopo 0-0 Lioli, LMPS 0-2 Matlama, Linare 3-1 Lerotholi, Mabeoana 0-0 Mphatlalatsane
Sunday (06/03): LDF 2-1 Bantu, LCS 5-1 Maduma, Joy 1-0 Swallows
Vodacom Premier League table
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ||
1 | LCS | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 30 |
2 | LDF | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 30 |
3 | Linare | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 |
4 | Bantu | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 25 |
5 | LMPS | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 22 |
6 | Matlama | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 21 |
7 | Maduma | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 25 | -4 | 19 |
8 | Joy | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 18 |
9 | Likhopo | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 17 |
10 | Lioli | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 16 |
11 | Lerotholi | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 16 |
12 | Swallows | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 11 |
13 | Mphatlalatsane | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 27 | -9 | 10 |
14 | Mabeoana | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 21 | -15 | 7 |
No comments:
Post a Comment