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| Cheers on the way? Cosafa 2016 is around the corner for Likuena |
There are only two weeks to go until
Lesotho kicks off its 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup campaign against Mauritius on June
12. Likuena interim coach Moses Maliehe has picked a young and exciting squad
for the tournament with hopes of progressing past the first round.
The winner of Group (Lesotho, Angola,
Malawi and Mauritius) will advance to meet South Africa in the quarterfinals.
Here are five reasons Likuena can head into the tournament with confidence.
Improving
team
The Lesotho team has improved since
Maliehe took over last November. Likuena claimed their first international win
in a year when they beat Seychelles 2-1 in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier at Setsoto Stadium in March and the team played well in last
weekend’s 2-1 loss away to Botswana where they were denied a win by late second
half goals.
These are positives to take from the
first few games of Maliehe’s reign in terms of the style of play and team
cohesion.
The mood also appears to better inside
the camp and perhaps credit here also goes to Maliehe in that he appears to
have a clear plan. Whereas the previous selection policy under Seephephe Matete
appeared haphazard at times, Maliehe, at least, looks to have a strategy. The
majority of the players Maliehe has picked are players he worked with at
Under-20 level as assistant coach to Leslie Notši in 2010 and 2011 and later as
the coach of the team.
There have been better preparations as
well. Likuena have been in training since Maliehe called a 24-man preliminary
squad at the beginning of April and the team seems better set than before last
year’s tournament in South Africa.
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| Man on form... Tumelo Khutlang |
Players
on form
Players such as Jane Thaba-Ntšo, Motebang
Sera, Hlompho Kalake, Tumelo Khutlang and Jeremea Kamela are coming off brilliant
individual campaigns. Thaba-Ntšo has been going strong for two seasons now but
the 2015/16 campaign was particularly sublime for the attacking midfielder as
he inspired Matlama to within a point of winning the league title. For teammate
Sera, this past season was a breakout campaign as the striker won the league’s golden
boot award.
Bantu’s Hlompho Kalake was also
outstanding and so was Lioli’s Tumelo Khutlang while Jeremea Kamela is the
unanimous choice as Lesotho’s player of the season for 2015/16 after his
match-winning displays for Lioli.
A further look at the squad also shows
several players that finished the season strongly and are rounding into peak
form in time for the COSAFA Cup. This list includes Montoeli Sonopo, Phafa
Tšosane, Mabuti Potloane, Thabo Seakhoa and Tšepo Seturumane who for varying
reasons were not at their best at the start of the season but started hitting
their straps in 2016.
Having players in top form is crucial
for team dynamics and confidence, and Maliehe has this luxury at his disposal.
Experience
on the international stage
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| Experience on the international stage... Mafa Moremoholo |
Despite the young age of the team, many
of the players are quite experienced on the international stage. Basia Makepe,
Kopano Tseka, Moremoholo Montoeli Sonopo and Jeremea Kamela were all part of
the Under-20 team that qualified for the CAF African U-20 Championship in 2011.
And, having been Likuena regulars since graduating, they have six years of
competing in pressure situations on the international stage.
Makepe and Kamela, for example, were key
members of the Lesotho team that reached the semi-finals of the 2013
tournament. Players such as Sepiriti Malefane, Mafa Moremoholo, Kalake, Thaba-Ntšo and Bokang
Sello meanwhile were part of Lesotho’s team at the 2013 COSAFA Under-20 tournament
and the Under-20 continent qualifiers that year. This means although it is young,
the Likuena team should not be overawed at the COSAFA Castle Cup.
Free
spirits
Tied to the above point, also because of
their young age, several of the players in the squad are not scarred by
previous disappointments on the senior international stage. All they want to do
is perform their best in what will be their highest level of competition so far.
Winger Seakhoa, who made his full debut last Saturday, is one such example.
Matlama’s Thaba-Ntšo, who was the player
of the season according to some, is another who is not burdened by previous
failures and will be looking out to showcase his talents on the big stage.
There are other such examples in the squad (Sera, Malefane, Khutlang and
Kalake, for example) and this bodes well for Likuena.
Strong
defence
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| Defensive lynchpin? Sepiriti Malefane (right) |
Likuena’s strength has been the defence
in recent years and that is expected to continue in Namibia. The defensive unit
is built on the core of Lioli with captain Basia Makepe expected to be
partnered by club-mate Kopano Tseka in central with Liteboho Mokhehle in goals
and Bokang Sello at leftback. Rightback options Sepiriti Malefane and Mafa
Moremoholo are also coming off strong campaigns.
Despite Lesotho’s struggles to win games,
the defence has generally been a strong part of the team and Makepe has been a
constant at the back over the past two. He will be under pressure to perform
again but the form and familiarity of his defensive partners should help.
Lesotho’s
Results Since 2015
Date
|
Competition
|
Home
|
Score
|
Away
|
25/03/15
|
Friendly
|
Botswana
|
2-0
|
Lesotho
|
14/05/15
|
Friendly
|
Lesotho
|
0-0
|
South Africa
|
18/05/15
|
Cosafa Cup
|
Lesotho
|
1-2
|
Madagascar
|
20/05/15
|
Cosafa Cup
|
Lesotho
|
0-2
|
Swaziland
|
22/05/15
|
Cosafa Cup
|
Lesotho
|
1-0
|
Tanzania
|
14/06/15
|
2017 AFCON
qualifier
|
Ethiopia
|
2-1
|
Lesotho
|
21/06/15
|
2017 CHAN
qualifier
|
Lesotho
|
0-0
|
Botswana
|
04/07/15
|
2017 CHAN qualifier
|
Botswana
|
1-1
|
Lesotho
|
06/09/15
|
2017 AFCON
qualifier
|
Lesotho
|
1-3
|
Algeria
|
07/10/15
|
2018 World Cup
qualifier
|
Comoros
|
0-0
|
Lesotho
|
13/10/15
|
2018 World Cup
qualifier
|
Lesotho
|
1-1
|
Comoros
|
18/10/15
|
2017 CHAN
qualifier
|
Zimbabwe
|
3-1
|
Lesotho
|
25/10/15
|
2017 CHAN
qualifier
|
Lesotho
|
1-1
|
Zimbabwe
|
26/03/16
|
2017 AFCON
qualifier
|
Seychelles
|
2-0
|
Lesotho
|
29/03/16
|
2017 AFCON
qualifier
|
Lesotho
|
2-1
|
Seychelles
|
21/05/16
|
Friendly
|
Botswana
|
2-1
|
Lesotho
|
Likuena
Squad
Goalkeepers: Daniel Jousse (LCS),
Liteboho Mokhehle (Lioli)
Defenders: Nketsi Rankhasa
(Matlama), Basia Makepe (captain) (Lioli), Kopano Tseka (Lioli), Mafa
Moremoholo (Lioli), Sepiriti Malefane (Bantu), Bokang Sello (Lioli)
Midfielders: Montoeli Sonopo
(Lioli), Phafa Tšosane (Matlama), Hlompho Kalake (Bantu), Kefuoe Mahula
(Matlama), Tumelo Khutlang (Lioli), Jane Thaba-Ntšo (Matlama), Mabuti Potloane (Matlama) Jeremea Kamela (Lioli), Thabo Seakhoa (LCS)
Strikers: Tšepo
Seturumane (LMPS), Motebang Sera (Matlama)
