Scoreless draws put league strikers under focus
What you need to know:
- The dearth of quality strikers in the country has manifested itself as early as the third round of the Kenyan Premier League.
- Only 48 goals have been scored in the 26 games that have been played so far, that is an average of two goals a game.
- Gor Mahia lead the scorers’ pack with eight goals followed by Zoo Kericho, Mathare United, Kariobangi Sharks and Ulinzi Stars who have each scored four times.
The dearth of quality strikers in the country has manifested itself as early as the third round of the Kenyan Premier League.
Only 48 goals have been scored in the 26 games that have been played so far, that is an average of two goals a game.
Gor Mahia lead the scorers’ pack with eight goals followed by Zoo Kericho, Mathare United, Kariobangi Sharks and Ulinzi Stars who have each scored four times.
While some may argue that it is still too early to make any judgments, it seems likely that this will be yet another season where the league’s top scorer will fail to hit the 20-goal mark.
Last weekend, Sony Sugar and Nakumatt were the only teams that managed to score, in slim 1-0 victories, while the other five fixtures ended in barren draws.
These scoreless results have seen league players and coaches attract a great deal of scrutiny, with certain teams being accused of being boring, although boring is a subjective measure that is impossible to quantify.
Tusker and Posta Rangers have been singled out for being too dull while the likes of Gor Mahia, Kariobangi Sharks and Nzoia United are lauded for playing exciting, eye-catching football.
Debutants Wazito have been praised for sticking to their free-flowing football that has made them a joy to watch even though they have won just one game so far.
But the biggest culprits in lack of ambition are teams outside the top six who are more adept at avoiding defeat rather than chasing wins, a fact that pushed coach Dylan Kerr to state that local teams are simply too afraid to take risks.
This is despite the fact that most coaches have acquired new players as well as new strategies for the 2018 season.
Posta Rangers for instance, have introduced a fresh squad that has moved from the traditional back four, to incorporate only three defenders in Luke Ochieng, Suleiman Ngotho and Kennedy Onyango.
Ironically, however, the team has recoded three successive draws, bringing to the fore the acute shortage of good local strikers.
“We have embraced a new system that we worked on extensively during preseason. We have conceded just one goal in those three games and haven’t conceded at all in the last two games. That means we are doing well,” said Rangers coach Sammy “Pamzo” Omollo, whose team has neither won nor lost in three outings.
