AFC Leopards Have Plenty of Claw and Bite

Understandably, very few gave Ingwe a chance going into this season's opening match against Mathare. Almost to a man, pundits placed their bet on the slum boys thrashing the new look Leopards hands down.

Even when Ingwe forced a one-all draw, many were still not convinced of the team's quality.

Granted, this is a team largely comprising greenhorns, youngsters with no experience in the country's top flight league. With the exception of Clifford Miheso, Lucas Indeche, Allan Katerega, Andrew Tololwa and Lamine Diallo, the rest of the first 11 have been poached from the country's lower leagues and secondary schools.

Even as you read this, the naysayers are still not convinced that Ingwe can challenge for trophies this season, the victory against Sony at Awendo Green Stadium a week ago notwithstanding. The haters will argue that upsets do occur once in a while, and this is one of those flash-in-the-pan outcomes.

That should not really worry the devoted Ingwe legion. Having had the benefit of watching a few of the team's matches, I have no doubt in my mind about the wealth of talent this generation possess.

During the match against Mathare, it was pretty obvious that the boys' fitness levels were below par, say at 40 to 50 per cent. The slum boys also exposed some frailties, especially at the right full back position where Solomon Nasio was subjected to a torrid time by the likes of Mwendwa.

It was also pretty obvious that fielding two out and out strikers in Kepha Aswani and Tololwa only added an unnecessary strain on the midfield.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

There were improvements in the second match from what I gather. Out went Nasio, his place taken by Creston Mwanzo. The coach also elected to employ one out and out striker, Tololwa, supported by two wide players in Mauda Hedmond and Diallo, who would alternate with Miheso every now and then. The inclusion of Katerega in a midfield triangle comprising Miheso and Bernard Ongoma were more assured, with the former Ushuru man playing just behind Tololwa and Ongoma deployed in the "hole."

The beauty with this team lies in the dynamism of the offensive players, all can create as well as score goals.

Going forward, the next two matches first against Bandari on Wednesday followed by the Mashemeji Derby will to a great extent shape Ingwe's season. Both are a must-win if Ingwe is to challenge for the KPL title this season. Six out of six points against the two title contenders will not only give the hitherto "greenhorns" the much needed confidence to go all the way, it will also instil the fear factor in the remaining teams.

With the array of talent in this team, the challenge is on the new head coach Ivan Jacky Minnaert to inculcate a winning mentality among the boys. So far, so good.