adminFungai Muderere
ITALIANS have always enjoyed unforgettable football experiences with their senior national team, let alone their domestic clubs.
By any chance, if we could have asked an ardent football follower in Rome or any other city in Italy about his or her opinion about how Zimbabwean coaches have so far performed in the Botswana Premier Soccer League 2022/2023 season, the response would be: “it has been a Momento Brillianto for Mandla Mpofu and Taurai Mangwiro”.
Both coaches are in their first coaching jobs in Botswana where Mangwiro, a former Harare City coach, leads third placed Orapa United, a club he joined in November last year.
Mpofu, who is fondly known as Lulu is the guvnor at fifth placed Masitaoka, a family he joined in August 2022 after his divorce with Bosso.
A total of 16 games have been played in the Batswana topflight league, one game into the second half of the 2022/2023 season.
In that regard, Mangwiro’s charges have posted 11 wins, two draws, three defeats in the process managing to collect a total of 35 points from a possible 48. This translates to a breathtaking 73 percent success rate.
As if that is not enough Mangwiro’s charges have found the back of the net 35 times, conceded 13 to give them an impressive +22 goal difference.
Their Form Guide reads: D D W W W meaning Orapa has managed to amass 11 points from possible 15 to give them an remarkable 73 percent success rate in their last five games.
At Masitaoka, Mpofu has been in charge of 16 games, winning nine, drawing one, losing six and in the process managing to collect 28 points from possible 48. The calculator points to a good 58 percent success rate.
Mpofu’s boys are on a positive goal difference of six after scoring 24 goals and conceding 18.
Their Form Guide reads: W L W W L which speaks to the sense that Masitaoka are on a noteworthy 60 percent success rate in their last five games.
Indeed, it has been a moment of brilliance for the two Zimbabwean football mentors.
However, that has not been the case for former Warriors head coach Rahman Gumbo. He has interestingly found the going tough in familiar territory that he once dominated clinching league titles.
After he parted ways with Sua Flamingoes late last year, he joined Morupule Wanderers who are number 12 in the 16-member league with 15 points from 16 starts.
Wanderers, who have managed to collect a point from their last five games, are eight points ahead of bottom placed Holy Ghost.
mbulelo smpofu
shloboe boe
