(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU - New Liphakoe head coach Teele Ntšonyana has been tasked with keeping the club in the Econet Premier League and finishing in the top eight when the season ends.
Ntšonyana was confirmed as the new coach of the Quthing-based side on Tuesday after the resignation of Thabo Tsutsulupa earlier this month due to bad results.
Liphakoe are 10th on the Econet Premier League with 10 points from 12 games and are not safe from relegation.
Ntšonyana is making a sensational return to the club after leaving Liphakoe to join Linare in February 2017 due to disagreements with management at the time.
The former Lesotho international left Linare last January to join Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) whom he guided to sixth place in the Econet Premiership last season before his shock move to Quthing this week.
Liphakoe's spokesperson, Tau Sebatli, said things are different now to when Ntšonyana left two years ago. He said Ntšonyana was the club's first option as soon as their coaching post opened.
'When people are working together there will be differences in terms of opinions and the way we see things,' Sebatli said.
'We know him and we are not focusing on what happened in the past because things are different now. The way management now works is different, even the players are not the same as when he left. He was the one we were looking at immediately and we didn't have any other options. We wanted him.'
Ntšonyana will have his work cut out to energise a Liphakoe side that has won just once in their 12 league games this season.
Liphakoe's biggest problem is scoring goals. They have scored just five goals this season and just two in their past six games.
Fortunately, Ntšonyana remains a popular figure in Quthing and Liphakoe players are said be looking forward to working with him.
Ntšonyana, who resigned from LMPS last week leaving them seventh on the log in the league with 17 points, started training Liphakoe yesterday.
He will have at least a week to work with the team before their next game as Liphakoe are not in action this weekend.
Sebatli said with the LNIG Top 8 set to kick-off next month the club is hoping Ntšonyana can guide them into the semi-finals of the cup while working to improve their league position.
'For the remaining six months of the season we just want to be in the top eight (in the league) and we also want to be in the last four of the LNIG Top 8 tournament,' Sebatli said.
'We have been playing well; we have been just unfortunate with (scoring) goals. It is something we are hoping he can improve because that's where we have been lacking,' he added.
Sebatli said Liphakoe are working hard to secure fresh faces to boost Ntšonyana's playing personnel.
'The club is finalising new signings which will be announced as soon as the deals are done,' he said.
Econet Premier League fixtures
(15:30):
Saturday
LDF vs. Bantu (Setsoto Stadium)
Swallows vs. Kick4Life (Nyokosoba)
Sunday
Lioli vs. Lijabatho (Teyateyaneng)
LMPS vs. Lifofane (PTC)
Wednesday
Lioli vs. LDF (Teyateyaneng)
Tlalane Phahla
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