Thabane Sutu is an icon of
Lesotho
football. In his illustrious career he played as a goalkeeper and captained Lesotho’s
national team, Likuena, from 1994 to 1997. He starred for local giants Arsenal
in two spells between 1984 and 1998, winning three league titles. Sutu also
played for Africa’s most successful club side Al Ahly of Egypt with whom he won the African Cup Winners Cup in 1993 and three league
championships.
He is
currently based in America
where he has been a youth coach at United 1996 Futbol Club since in 2001. In
2006 Sutu was the recipient of the Coach of the Year award in the state of Kentucky, and in 2009 his youth team won the Kentucky state
championship. He answers your questions…
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
With the English Premiership season winding down we
ask Thabane Sutu about the season that Liverpool
have had and, of course, the title race.
Liverpool's
Carling Cup win means qualification for the Europa League; even so personally
this season has been a disappointment, particularly in league games. Too many
dropped points have been at home... I believe Liverpool
have tied eight games, majority of those against teams they should be beating.
Blackburn, Swansea and Norwich for example all
got away with something from Anfield.
Part of the problem is that Liverpool’s
squad is too mediocre and average, with the exception of Suarez, Gerrard,
Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Reina and Kuyt. Few of Liverpool’s
summer signings have made an impact.
Charlie Adam is an oxygen thief, Downing flatters to
deceive, Andy Carroll is a total flop, an expensive one for that matter, and
Jordan Henderson is a ghost!
Jose Enrique has been solid, and Bellamy has been Liverpool’s best signing by far.
Henderson is only 20 years, so maybe he will
improve with time. That said, I’ve watched him several times this season and I
still can't describe what his best attribute as a footballer is. Kenny Dalglish
bought a lot of British players, and that's fine provided they are good enough
to play for Liverpool.
Charlie Adam has been a total failure. A club of Liverpool’s
stature shouldn’t be getting players from relegated teams like Blackpool. Ian Holloway (Blackpool’s
manager) once compared Adam to Xabi Alonso! Are you kidding me? There's no
comparison there; I am convinced Alonso’s departure led to subsequent
departures of Mascherano and Torres.
Admittedly, Liverpool have
been unlucky at times. They've hit the woodwork more than 21 times this season.
They’ve lost a couple on the bounce – they shouldn't have lost to Arsenal, but
that's what happens when you don't kill teams off, especially with RVP on the
field.
Manchester United have edged ahead!
No surprises there! I thought Man
City was going to run
away with it! But the loss of Yaya Toure to the Afcon was a major blow! They
didn’t look the same team without him. Paul Scholes’ return has galvanised
United, he is a brilliant player. He was never pacy, so he didn’t have any
speed to lose to begin with. That's why he is still a top player at 37! I am
not a Man United fan, never will be, but I've always liked him!
Thabane
Tuesday,
12 July 2011
Good
afternoon Ntate Sutu, seeing the release of the fixtures list for the 2011/12
English Premiership season really whet my appetitive. I know it’s still really
early but what do you make of the coming title race? And what are your thoughts
on Arsenal?
I still think Manchester United will win the league again.
Chelsea, Man
City and Liverpool
will make the top four too. Arsenal haven’t strengthened yet and to compound
matters they’re in real danger of losing their best players, Fabregas and
Nasri, as well. Clichy
is already gone, but luckily they do have Kieran Gibbs who is just as good.
Ferguson is way too experienced and he knows exactly
what he needs to do to keep his team going. He has sold John O’Shea and Wes
Brown to Sunderland. In came Phil Jones and
Chris Smalling had a decent start to his Old Trafford career. So defensively
United are set.
They just need to replace Paul Scholes. Not easy! He was arguably
the best midfielder in England,
and possibly Europe, for the past 15 years or
so. A great player!
I like Liverpool’s chances of
breaking into the top four. They have signed shrewdly... even if the money they
paid for Jordan Henderson is a little exorbitant. Charlie Adam will prove to be
a major signing for them. He will play with better players and will see the
ball a lot more than he did at Blackpool. His
delivery from set pieces is top drawer; Liverpool
didn’t score too many goals from set pieces last year, so Adam’s addition is
already a major plus in that sense. Also, he is left-footed and he provides Liverpool better balance in the middle.
For Arsenal Vermaelen will be back at the heart of defence... I
think they missed him badly last season. Samba and Cahill have also been talked
about as possible signings but they don’t fit the Arsenal profile... they’re
both very good defenders but not Wenger’s type.
Wenger prefers ball playing defenders, not rough and robust ones
like Samba for instance.
Unfortunately you need a bit of both worlds for an effective
centre-back partnership. Man United have Ferdinand who is good on the ball and
Vidic who isn’t necessarily great technically, but is a terrific defender who
sticks to the principles very well. It’s a good combination. I think Arsenal’s
defensive pairing of Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell was the best they’ve had in a
while. They need something like that if they’re to be successful again.
Thabane
Saturday, 25 June 2011
The 2011 Gold Cup final, the biggest event on the
North American football, or should we say soccer, calendar takes place later
today. Hosts America face
defending champions Mexico
at the Rose Bowl, the scene of Brazil’s
1994 World Cup win and the 1999 Women’s World Cup final. It’s the third time in
a row the two foes have met in the final and Thabane Sutu does what he does best, giving us the lowdown on the
finale… oh, and a Liverpool question is inevitably thrown in there somewhere...
The Gold Cup Final: USA
or Mexico?
The
US and Mexico
are eternal rivals and anything can happen in this kind of encounter. However,
based on current form, I would pick Mexico to win. They have a much
more balanced side than the US.
In Rafa Marquez Mexico
also have a veteran of three Fifa World Cups and he provides a calming
influence to a somewhat young Mexican side. Mexico
looked really fit in their semi-final win over Honduras... they outlasted their
opponents and scored two overtime goals through De Nigris and Chicharito.
Hernandez is one of the best natural finishers I’ve seen in a long time. He
just has that knack of being in the right place at the right time. I think
Goodson and Bocanegra are going to have a hard time keeping up with him.
Guardado on
the left wing and Barrera on the opposite flank are also going to be a handful
for the US
defence, and don’t forget about Dos Santos breaking from midfield. De Nigris
provides a different alternative to Hernandez... he is strongly built, great in
the air and a little scrappy. He usually comes off the bench and he’s a perfect
foil for Hernandez.
The US
have some talent of their own too – Howard in goal, Bradley and Jones in
midfield, and Donovan and Dempsey up front. Freddie Adu and Agudelo have also
been particularly effective off the bench as well. But if I were to pick a
winner for tonights final I would go with Mexico.
Is Stuart Downing the piece to Liverpool’s
championship Jigsaw?
With
Ashley Young Man United bound, Downing is an option for sure. He can definitely
help. If Carroll is going to thrive at Liverpool
then signing genuine wingers is paramount. Liverpool
need a leftback too. I’ve heard that they may get Cristian Zapata from Udinese.
He is good. Plays for Colombia.
But Udinese is playing Champions League football next season and I don’t think
he’ll let that opportunity pass him by.
I
think Liverpool also need another forward to
compliment Suarez and Carroll. Ngog cannot withstand the rigors of the
Premiership... he is physically too weak and the moment he’s
average at best. He’s still young though so maybe
sending him out on loan to a Championship team may do him good. Dani
Pacheco is an interesting player for me, and a much better option than Ngog. He
helped Norwich gain promotion and I hope Liverpool keep him and give more opportunities.
When it comes
to winning the league, I don’t think Liverpool
can do so, but they will qualify for the top four. They have a difficult start
at home to Sunderland and then away to
Arsenal.
You
also have factor in the international matches played on the Wednesday a few
days before the league starts. I don’t understand why national teams have
friendly games on a Wednesday when the league season begins on Saturday. I
would have thought the opening day would have been moved back to Sunday at
least. But in any case, Liverpool cannot
afford any slip ups like they did last season; they need to hit the ground
running.
Thabane
Saturday, 28
May 2011
English
champions Manchester United play Spanish kings Barcelona later today in the most highly
anticipated Uefa Champions League final since the turn of the century. Likuena
legend Thabane Sutu is always a good person to turn to on occasions like this…
a question just needed to be asked and he answered it, short and sweet…
Lumela Ntate Sutu!
What’s your take on the Uefa Champions League final? How do you see the game going? And
which players do you think will have the most influence on the outcome of the
game? Thanks.
I
will go for Barcelona.
I think they are a far better side than they were when they won in it 2009.
However, the final is in England this time
and that will make the contest somehow more interesting. Rooney, Carrick, Hernandez, Vidic,
Park and maybe Giggs, if he starts, are the key players for United. For Barcelona it will be the
usual suspects… Messi, Xavi, Iniesta,
Busquets, Puyol, Dani Alves and so on. I think
Valdes too will have a major role to play. He doesn’t have to do much because
Barca dominate possession so much, so his concentration levels have got to be
spot on – especially in such a high stakes contest.
With Barca you pick your own poison, if you low-press,
they will break you down with combinations. If you press high, they can be
absolutely devastating on the counter. Furthermore, Messi and Iniesta are
completely healthy and more importantly, fresh. They both didn’t play in the
last two games as Barca wrapped up the league nice and early.
All in all, I
think Barcelona
will win today, but it won’t be easy. Man United, especially in central
defence, are too slow; and Barca will keep the ball on the deck and probe until
an opening presents itself. Vidic and Ferdinand are both wonderful in the air
but that’s not how Barcelona
plays.
Thabane
Tuesday,
12 April 2011
Good afternoon Ntate Sutu,
I watched Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester United last Sunday. I was very
impressed! I haven’t seen Liverpool play so
well in a very long time! What’s your take on my beloved Liverpool?
Are you excited about the arrival of King Kenny, the new signings and new style
of play? I know I am…
I
think Liverpool should have appointed Kenny
right after Rafael Benitez left. No disrespect to Roy Hodgson, I think Liverpool was too big for him. He is better suited to
managing small clubs whose sole ambition is to stay in the Premiership...
Fulham and now West Brom. And his style of
play was too rigid!
He wanted
certain players to receive to the ball in prescribed areas of the pitch. Kenny
came in and has given players more freedom to express themselves… the passing
and movement has gotten better, Meireles has suddenly exploded and scored 5
goals in his last 7 games. Kenny has also shown faith in young players like
Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvy. Sunday’s win against Manchester
United was definitely the highlight of the season.
I think Suarez
is a shrewd piece of business. He is not match fit yet and I think the best of
him is yet to come. He is obviously a different kind of player to
Torres...Suarez is more mobile, has got great feet especially in tight spaces
and he’s a fighter! I like him a lot.
Of course Liverpool also played on Man United’s weaknesses... the
absence of Ferdinand and Vidic in particular was massive. And I still don't
understand why Darren Fletcher didn’t start. Carrick and Scholes have a similar
style of play. Fletcher covers a lot of ground. I don’t think any of Man
United’s central midfielders made runs beyond Rooney and Berbatov, particularly
in the first half. Losing Nani was a major blow too. Carragher should have seen
red. So too Rafael.
I still think Liverpool need 5 or 6 players in the summer. Carroll’s
main asset is heading and Liverpool don’t have
genuine wingers. They need to address that area. They could also do with a
leftback. Johnson has been playing there lately and has done well. But he’s a
rightback. Also one central defender! Daniel Agger is great when fit, but he
misses way too many games with injuries. Soto Kyrgiakos and Skrtel are
garbage... bad things always happen when they play together. Hernandez nicked
one goal and Soto was marking him on the wrong side. And the distance between
him and Skrtel was almost 15-20 metres apart! Schoolboys don’t make mistakes
like that!
Thabane
(To hear from Thabane Sutu send your questions to
molaposportscentre@gmail.com)
