 |
| Bantu kept their focus despite off-field distractions... |
It seems just
like yesterday when the 2017/18 Econet Premier League campaign got underway but,
as a new week starts, there is now officially less than two months to go in the
season.
With the clocking
winding down, this weekend was another pivotal one in the destiny of the
league.
Here are the
talking points from the latest round of action.
Have
Lioli turned the corner?
It has been a
trying time for Morena Ramorebodi since he took over as Lioli coach at the
beginning of January.
Just two weeks
ago Tse Nala fans were calling for his
head after seeing their side claim just one win and suffer three defeats in Ramorebodi’s
first six games in charge. The lowest point was a 4-1 league beating by Matlama
a fortnight ago – Lioli’s worst defeat in over a decade and at the hands of their
fierce rivals no less.
However, the
last seven days couldn’t have gone any better for the Teyateyaneng giants and
their South African coach.
Firstly, Tse Nala produced an inspired come from
behind win over LMPS in the LNIG Top 8 quarterfinals last Sunday. Then, the
following day Lioli were awarded a 3-0 win over Bantu by the Lesotho Football
Association’s Disputes and Protests Committee for a December meeting between
the sides after A Matšo Matebele were
found to have used illegally registered players (Lioli had lost that match 2-1).
Lioli then ended
their week with a confident 2-0 league win over Liphakoe at the LCS Stadium yesterday.
All of a sudden Tse Nala are a point
behind Bantu in the title race and have some momentum.
That is how
football can change in an instant.
Lioli under Ramorebodi
|
|||||
14/01/18
|
League
|
Matlama
|
0-0
|
Lioli
|
D
|
04/02/18
|
League
|
Lioli
|
0-1
|
LDF
|
L
|
10/02/18
|
League
|
Kick4Life
|
1-1
|
Lioli
|
D
|
18/02/18
|
League
|
Majantja
|
0-1
|
Lioli
|
W
|
24/02/18
|
LNIG Top 8
|
Lioli
|
0-1
|
LMPS
|
L
|
03/03/18
|
League
|
Lioli
|
1-4
|
Matlama
|
L
|
11/03/18
|
LNIG Top 8
|
LMPS
|
0-2
|
Lioli
|
W
|
18/03/18
|
League
|
Liphakoe
|
0-2
|
Lioli
|
W
|
 |
| Have Tšoanelo Koetle and Lioli turned the corner? |
On the field,
Ramorebodi will also be pleased both his strikers – new signing Tseko Lekata and
Tšepo Lekhoana – got on the score-sheet against Liphakoe. Lioli also looked more
confident as a unit and it raises the question if they have finally found their
feet under their new coach.
The answer will
come in the coming weeks.
Tse
Nala
now enter the most important phase of their season. Next up in the Econet
Premier they face in-form Linare before a humdinger LNIG Top 8 semi-final
against Matlama on April 7.
Two weeks after
that is a potential title decider against Bantu.
Lioli upcoming fixtures
|
||
March 24
|
League
|
v Linare (home)
|
March 31
|
League
|
v Sky Battalion (away)
|
April 7
|
LNIG Top 8
|
v Matlama (semi-final)
|
April 15
|
League
|
v Likhopo (home)
|
April 21
|
League
|
v Bantu (away)
|
Bantu
stay focused despite off field distractions
While the past
week was a good one for Lioli it started off in traumatic fashion for Bantu.
From being in a
position of power, A Matšo Matebele
suddenly were vulnerable after Lioli won a case against them in which the
Mafeteng side were found guilty of fraudulently registering four South African
players as Lesotho nationals in order to comply with the Premier League’s
foreign quota of five players.
This story may
still rumble on with Matlama and Likhopo having hinted at reopening their
protests against Bantu over the same issue.
With the events
of the past week, it would have been understood if Bantu’s minds were elsewhere this weekend.
That wasn’t the case however as A Matšo
Matebele turned in a ruthless display to demolish Sky Battalion 4-0 at the
PTC Ground on Saturday.
Granted, Sky
Battalion are the worst team in the league. But the focus from Bantu’s entire
team was there for all to see, demonstrated by the fact four different players
– Ramasimong Maloisane, Tsietsi Motšeare, Tsietsi Khooa and Lazola
Tjokotjokwana – got on the scoreboard.
This, by the way,
is Bantu’s strength – the depth of their attacking arsenal. Over the past 18
months James Madidilane has moulded a devastating offence that is now the most
versatile in the country.
Last season the
Mafeteng giants scored a league-leading 50 goals to win the title, this season
they lead the way again with 33 goals from 18 games (the only team with over 30
goals so far).
That match against
Lioli scheduled for April 21 looms large.
Kick4Life keep
on marching
 |
| In-form Nkoto Masoabi scored a brace against LMPS to keep Kick4Life marching... |
Apart from Bantu, no one has collected more points
from the last 10 matches than Kick4Life.
Form guide – last 10 games
|
||||||||
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Bantu
|
10
|
7
|
2
|
1
|
22
|
8
|
23
|
2
|
Kick4Life
|
10
|
6
|
3
|
1
|
18
|
5
|
21
|
3
|
Matlama
|
10
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
18
|
13
|
20
|
4
|
Linare
|
10
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
13
|
13
|
17
|
It has been
solid and unspectacular but, thanks to that run of form, Kick4Life are firmly entrenched in fourth spot after being ninth entering December when they had collected just nine points from their opening eight games.
Now they are
fourth with 30 points from 18 games.
In those past 10
games Kick4Life have only conceded five goals, the best record in the league.
Kick4Life’s last 10 league games
|
||||
25/11/17
|
Liphakoe
|
1-2
|
Kick4Life
|
W
|
03/12/17
|
Kick4Life
|
3-0
|
Linare
|
W
|
14/01/18
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
1-1
|
Kick4Life
|
D
|
21/01/18
|
Majantja
|
1-1
|
Kick4Life
|
D
|
27/01/18
|
Sky
Battalion
|
0-2
|
Kick4Life
|
W
|
04/02/18
|
Kick4Life
|
1-0
|
Likhopo
|
W
|
10/02/18
|
Kick4Life
|
1-1
|
Lioli
|
D
|
18/02/18
|
LCS
|
1-0
|
Kick4Life
|
L
|
03/03/18
|
Kick4Life
|
5-0
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
W
|
18/03/18
|
LMPS
|
0-2
|
Kick4Life
|
W
|
Their defence
allows Kick4Life to stay in games even if they get off to a slow start. That
showed in their 2-0 win on Sunday against an LMPS side that has plenty of talent
going forward.
Thanks to their solid
structure under Leslie Notši, Kick4Life are difficult to beat.
Last weekend’s 3-1 LNIG Top 8 quarterfinal second leg loss to Matlama was only the third
time Kick4Life had conceded two or more goals in 24 games this season all competitions.
The only other times were against LMPS (a 2-1 loss on October 14) and Lioli (a
3-1 defeat on September 17).
Matlama
now the league’s great entertainers
 |
| Motebang Sera also found the net for Matlama to continue their hot streak... |
Matlama are suddenly
the great entertainers of the Econet Premier League. Last weekend Tse Putsoa produced a thriller in the
LNIG Top 8 quarterfinals to beat Kick4Life 3-1. The week before they put four
past Lioli in the league.
Saturday was
another attacking feast for Matlama fans as Phafa Tšosane, Motebang Sera and
Lebajoa Mosehlanyane scored to give them a dramatic 3-2 win over LCS.
It is a crazy identity
turnaround that now sees Tse Putsoa as
an offensive juggernaut. Matlama only scored 10 goals in their first 11 Econet
Premier League games. They have scored 14 goals in their last seven. Their goal
average per game has shot up from 0.9 to 2 goals, the largest such increase in
the league.
The
transformation has been sparked by the addition of the sparkling Mosehlanyane
(three goals in his last two games) and fellow January signing Lehlomela
Ramabele.
Matlama in the league in 2018
|
||||
14/01/18
|
Matlama
|
0-0
|
Lioli
|
D
|
21/01/18
|
Matlama
|
1-0
|
LDF
|
W
|
28/01/18
|
Liphakoe
|
1-3
|
Matlama
|
W
|
03/02/18
|
Matlama
|
1-1
|
Linare
|
D
|
10/02/18
|
Sky
Battalion
|
0-2
|
Matlama
|
W
|
18/02/18
|
Matlama
|
0-1
|
Likhopo
|
L
|
03/03/18
|
Lioli
|
1-4
|
Matlama
|
W
|
17/03/18
|
Matlama
|
3-2
|
LCS
|
W
|
So far Matlama are
the team of 2018 and are a point behind Bantu in the title race.
How costly will
that sloppy loss to Likhopo last month turn out to be at the end of the season?
Linare
should regret points deduction
Talking of
regret, Linare would have been fifth if they hadn’t been docked three points at
the beginning of the season for registering late. And who is to say Linare wouldn’t
be even higher if they hadn’t started the campaign with that setback?
 |
| Form team? Linare have won three of four... |
Whatever the
case, Linare are doing well. They have won three of their last four league games and
only Bantu, Kick4Life and Matlama can claim to have done better in the last ten
games.
And, after a
lean period in front of goal last season, Linare strikeforce now has Rethabile Selonyane
(10 league goals) and former Lioli fan favourite Maba Junior who struck the
winner in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Likhopo, his first goal since joining Tse Tala from Tse Nala in January.
Likhopo
thanking their lucky stars for Sky Battalion
Likhopo won’t be
relegated at the end of the season. That is where the positive news ends for the
Red Army. They have been terrible this season.
The only reason
they won’t be relegated is because when Sundawana were expelled in November the
Premier League decided only one team would go down instead of two, keeping the
top 12 safe as normal.
Sky Battalion
then proceeded to have the worst season in history and because of their six-point
deduction at the start of the season they are stuck on negative points. With minus-4
points from 18 games, the most points SK can
reach after 24 games is 14.
Likhopo are 12th with 13 points so if they win their next game or if Sky Battalion drop points,
Likhopo will survive.
It is a battle
of the bad and the worst.
Likhopo have been bad
over the last seven games.
Likhopo’s last seven league games
|
||||
17/12/17
|
LCS
|
4-1
|
Likhopo
|
L
|
28/01/18
|
LDF
|
1-1
|
Likhopo
|
D
|
04/02/18
|
Kick4Life
|
1-0
|
Likhopo
|
L
|
10/02/18
|
Likhopo
|
0-2
|
Majantja
|
L
|
18/02/18
|
Matlama
|
0-1
|
Likhopo
|
W
|
03/03/18
|
Likhopo
|
1-3
|
Liphakoe
|
L
|
18/03/18
|
Linare
|
1-0
|
Likhopo
|
L
|
Fortunately for them Sky Battalion have been the
worst…
Sky Battalion’s last seven league
games
|
||||
17/12/17
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
1-0
|
Sky Battalion
|
L
|
27/01/18
|
Sky Battalion
|
0-2
|
Kick4Life
|
L
|
04/02/18
|
Majantja
|
0-0
|
Sky Battalion
|
D
|
10/02/18
|
Sky Battalion
|
0-2
|
Matlama
|
L
|
17/02/18
|
Liphakoe
|
1-0
|
Sky Battalion
|
L
|
04/03/18
|
Sky Battalion
|
0-2
|
Linare
|
L
|
17/03/18
|
Bantu
|
4-0
|
Sky Battalion
|
L
|
Weekend Results:
Saturday
Bantu 4-0 Sky Battalion
Sefotha-fotha 2-2 Majantja
Matlama 3-2 LCS
Sunday
Linare 1-0 Likhopo
LMPS 0-2 Kick4Life
Liphakoe 0-2 Lioli
Econet Premier
League Standings:
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Bantu
|
16
|
11
|
3
|
2
|
33
|
11
|
+22
|
36
|
2
|
Lioli
|
17
|
10
|
5
|
2
|
27
|
13
|
+14
|
35
|
3
|
Matlama
|
18
|
10
|
5
|
3
|
24
|
12
|
+12
|
35
|
4
|
Kick4Life
|
18
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
24
|
13
|
+11
|
30
|
5
|
LDF
|
17
|
6
|
7
|
4
|
19
|
15
|
+4
|
25
|
6
|
Majantja
|
18
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
18
|
18
|
0
|
24
|
7
|
Linare
|
18
|
8
|
3
|
7
|
20
|
22
|
-2
|
24
|
8
|
LMPS
|
16
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
16
|
17
|
+1
|
22
|
9
|
LCS
|
17
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
14
|
14
|
0
|
21
|
10
|
Liphakoe
|
17
|
6
|
1
|
10
|
15
|
24
|
-9
|
19
|
11
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
17
|
3
|
8
|
6
|
12
|
23
|
-11
|
17
|
12
|
Likhopo
|
17
|
3
|
4
|
10
|
11
|
23
|
-12
|
13
|
13
|
Sky Battalion
|
18
|
0
|
2
|
16
|
4
|
30
|
-26
|
-4
|
·
Linare
docked 3 points for late registration
·
Sky
Battalion docked 6 points for late registration
·
Lioli
awarded 3-0 win over Bantu
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