. . . as Likuena recalls experienced campaigners
Mikia Kalati
LIKUENA coach Moses Maliehe has reshuffled his squad by dropping a number of inexperienced players and bringing in seasoned campaigners such as Bokang Mothoana and Thapelo Tale (Kick4Life), Thapelo Mokhehle (Bantu) and Mkwanazi Mkwanazi (Sandawana).
Koete Mahloai (LDF), Motlalepula Chabeli (Kick4Life), Keketso Snyders and Johannes Molapo of Sandawana have all been dropped from the team.
Maliehe this week told the Lesotho Times that the clock was slowly ticking towards their important 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and African Nations Championship qualifiers which get underway in June and July respectively and they needed to take their preparations to another gear.
“Indeed we have gone for experienced players to give the youngsters that have been dropped a chance to learn and improve,” Maliehe said.
“We gave them the platform to train with the national team to show them that we are following their progress at club level and the door is still open to them as long as they perform well.
“The truth is this stage is a bit bigger than them as young players, but they need to be patient because they are in a learning process.”
The Likuena mentor said it was crucial to make a good start in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers in order to boost their chances of qualifying for their first ever African Cup of Nations.
Lesotho was drawn in group L alongside Cape Verde, Uganda and Tanzania.
They get their campaign underway against Tanzania in June and they will also take on Comoros in the Chan first round qualifiers in July.
“We still have a few months to go before the important qualifiers and the door is still open to any player that performs well at club level.
“We are also trying different combinations and it was also important to bring experience into the team,” Maliehe said, adding, his hopes for an international friendly during the March international calendar had not yielded any positive results so far.
“We will see what happens between now and then, but our preparations are going very well.
“We just have to keep working hard and get ready for the qualifiers,” he said.
