Talking
Points from Week 16 in the Vodacom Premier League
Are
Lioli running away with the league title?
Lioli are a class apart from the rest of
the Vodacom Premier League at the moment. After a comfortable 2-0 win over Sandawana
yesterday, the champions are five points clear at the top. Matlama, in third
place, do have a game in hand but Lioli have looked vastly superior all campaign.
 |
| Another win... Sandawana 0-2 Lioli Pic via Lioli Football Club |
Tse Nala have conceded the joint fewest
goals with LCS this
season (seven) and have scored the most (24). As a result, Lioli have the best
goal differential in the league of +17 which is seven more than the next best,
LCS with +10. The big positive is that there many contributors in the team.
Yesterday, Lioli’s goal came from Montoeli Sonopo and Tumelo Khutlang. Other
days it’s the likes of Maba Junior, Nkoto Masoabi, Lekhanya Lekhanya or Tšoanelo
Koetle getting amongst the goals.
The biggest test for Lioli will be how they
juggle the league and other competitions. They start their CAF Champions League
campaign on Sunday against Burundi’s Vital’O. They are also poised to reach the
semi-finals of the LNIG Top 8 after beating Sandawana 4-1 in the first leg of teams’
quarterfinal match-up.
Sandawana
hit rough patch
Sandawana went on a seven-match winning
streak to end 2015 which brought about talk of a possible title challenge. Unfortunately,
the Butha-Buthe side has hit a brutal stretch since the turn of the year. Sandawana
played Matlama in the league, Lioli in the LNIG Top 8 and then Lioli again
yesterday, this time in the league. They lost all the three games.
Clearly, there is a still gap in quality
Sandawana has to make up and they still have to invest even more if they are to
fulfil owner Thato “Sandawana” Nkone’s dream of winning the league. They are
still positioned for a spot in the top four which would be an excellent
achievement. Sandawana’s next two games are against teams in the lower half of
the table, Kick4Life and Likila United. And both games are at home. Six points
would have Sandawana well positioned heading into the final stretch.
Are
LCS title contenders?
 |
| Masheshena, fighting hard |
LCS moved into second place in the Vodacom
Premier League thanks to a convincing 3-0 win over Kick4Life yesterday.
Masheshena are having a better season than many expected in Mpitsa Marai’s
rookie season as coach. They are the form team in the league right now having
won their last four games in a row.
Form
Table – Last 5 Games
|
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
LCS
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
2
|
13
|
|
2
|
Lioli
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
13
|
|
3
|
Sandawana
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
9
|
|
4
|
Matlama
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
|
5
|
Kick4Life
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
8
|
It’s perhaps asking too much to ask
Marai’s young squad to dethrone Lioli for the league title. But, even if Masheshena
don’t challenge for the league, they look well set for a place in top three. And
Marai would have taken that at the start of the season.
Weekend
Results
Saturday,
06 February
Likila United 0-0 Liphakoe
Rovers 1-3 Matlama
Mphatlalatsane 3-3 LDF
Sunday,
07 February
Kick4Life 0-3 LCS
Bantu 0-1 LMPS
Sandawana 0-2 Lioli
Likhopo 1-0 Linare
Vodacom
Premier League Table
|
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
Lioli
|
16
|
11
|
4
|
1
|
24
|
7
|
17
|
37
|
|
2
|
LCS
|
16
|
9
|
5
|
2
|
17
|
7
|
10
|
32
|
|
3
|
Matlama
|
15
|
10
|
2
|
3
|
22
|
13
|
9
|
32
|
|
4
|
Likhopo
|
15
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
21
|
11
|
10
|
26
|
|
5
|
Sandawana
|
15
|
7
|
3
|
5
|
15
|
15
|
0
|
24
|
|
6
|
Bantu
|
16
|
7
|
2
|
7
|
17
|
11
|
6
|
23
|
|
7
|
LDF
|
16
|
5
|
7
|
4
|
16
|
13
|
3
|
22
|
|
8
|
Kick4Life
|
15
|
4
|
7
|
4
|
10
|
14
|
-4
|
19
|
|
9
|
Rovers
|
15
|
4
|
3
|
8
|
10
|
19
|
-9
|
15
|
|
10
|
Linare
|
15
|
4
|
2
|
9
|
17
|
21
|
-4
|
14
|
|
11
|
Liphakoe
|
15
|
2
|
7
|
6
|
11
|
16
|
-5
|
13
|
|
12
|
Likila United
|
15
|
3
|
4
|
8
|
12
|
21
|
-9
|
13
|
|
13
|
LMPS
|
16
|
2
|
6
|
8
|
11
|
20
|
-9
|
12
|
|
14
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
16
|
2
|
5
|
9
|
14
|
29
|
-15
|
11
|
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