Ever improving Leopards’ play pleasing to the eye, and fans

What you need to know:

  • This has also brought a smile on the faces of several fans.

Kudos to our first team for putting up what was without doubt their best performance of the season against Nakumatt in Machakos the other day.

And I’m not only saying this because we easily won 4-2 to scoop maximum points against arguably the most improved team in the second leg of the 2018 SportPesa Premier League.

Rather, I was so humbled by the performance of the team as a whole.

Coming up against a club that stood out and nicked a point against the loud mouthed defending champions in their previous assignment, the way the same opposition folded up against the ferocious Leopards was quite telling.

What was more humbling however, was the way each Leopards player called upon by coach Rodolfo Zapata handled his job description with surgical precision on the day.

The accurate short and long range passes, tackles, assists, shorts on target, goals, celebrations, name it, were such a joy to watch.

Crucially, the team – as expected – followed this performance up with another straight forward win against Thika United last weekend.

Kudos to the coach and the rest of the technical bench members for bringing in that stability.

This has also brought a smile on the faces of several fans.

That confidence within the team also bodes well ahead of the ‘Mashemeji derby’ this weekend, plus the remaining assignments in the league and especially the domestic cup.

These, however, are not the only reasons why I am hopeful.

I am also excited by the strength and depth of this squad, but most importantly, the breeding youthful talents coming through the ranks.

See, most professional clubs from around the world have over the years relied on bringing in young and promising players through the ranks as a way of investing in the future.

HOMEGROWN TALENT

The homegrown youngsters also bring some sort of an identity to the team, even as they create some bond between the fans and the club.

The likes of Manchester United for example spent almost half a decade nurturing the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown and John O’Shea, players who went on to become an integral part of the treble winning campaign in 1999.

Barcelona too, are renowned for grooming Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, Lionel Messi whom they brought to Spain from Argentina aged 13, plus Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and other star players who have gone on to win several international accolades.

Even Arsene Wenger in his prime brought through Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole, Francesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy and Aaron Ramsey. This is why at Leopards, for every Ezekiel Odera we must have a Vincent Oburu, the youngster who made his name at the Kenya Premier League Under-20 academy team coached by Boniface Ambani a few years ago.

Similarly, a loss of form for Jairus Adira in goal should open doors for the very impressive Ezekiel Owade who has ably manned the posts in the past month or so.

The same is applicable to Marvin Nabwire who has put in match winning performances in the last three matches including scoring the only goal of the game against Vihiga United.

What this also means is Leopards management should place specific emphasis on not only identifying but also investing in the talented youth. Simply put, support Ambani’s team.

You just never know, therein lies the next Victor Wanyama, Michael Olunga or Ayub Timbe.