For every football fan, their passion for football is only complete, when there are goals scored. That is where there is the utmost thrill, reports JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.
Since August 19, when the 2016/2017 Uganda Premier League (UPL) season kicked off, a total of 244 league goals was scored by the end of the first round This statistic represents an average of 2.03 goals per game, which is an improvement from the 1.76 goals scored at this stage during the 2015/2016 season.
SC Villa has played a big part in pushing up this number. As the league took a break, Villa were its top scorers with 28 goals, one ahead of KCCA FC, their arch-rivals.
Although KCCA remain top of the table with 32 points, one ahead of Villa, the Jgoos can be happy about their general standing and progress. By this time last season, Villa had only scored 12 goals, but conceded nine. They had the third best defence in the league.
But coach Shafiq Bisaso was not about to settle for that. He said, “Villa is a big team. And to prove that, we have to show purpose and stature by winning games always.
But that has also got to be in style, where we score many goals, to excite our fans because that is what they pay to watch. Not how much we defend.”
Bisaso added that without goals, they would be cheating the fans because it is to celebrate and cheer goals, that makes a football match worth one’s time.
However, to consider that the UPL has had 2.03, Bisaso thinks it is a good thing. To him, it shows how offensive most teams have become from a year ago.
To lay credence to Bisaso’s argument, there were 23 goalless draws in the first half of last season, as opposed to 20 this time round. Although the difference is not as huge, it is significant that the other 100 games played in the first round have had a moment when fans have cheered.
However, there is probably more than meets the eye to explain this new trend, that dates back to the second round of last season, when at the end of it, the goals per game average, had moved from 1.76 to 2.05.
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) FC coach Kefa Kisala said the training programmes the coaches have been subjected to lately, do encourage more offensive thinking. Yet, as many will be excited that goal-scoring is improving, others question the level of defending amongst most clubs in the league.
Although the general football adage has it that successful teams build from the back, there seems to be a laxity on that aspect. KCCA’s coach Badru Kaddu explained that there is, indeed, a lot of clumsy and bad defending in the league.
Kaddu noted that of the average 2.03 goals scored, few are actually constructed. It is defensive mistakes, that had over gifts. It is Sadolin Paints FC, who have conceded the least goals, 10 in the first round. But they have the second worst scoring record on eight goals only.
However, Bright Stars FC tactician and Cranes goalkeeping coach Fred Kajoba added that the other reason why there has been an increase in goal-scoring, is the level of poor goalkeeping.
In fact, in the UPL today, apart from KCCA’s Benjamin Ochan and Vipers SC’s Isma Watenga, it is difficult to see which other goalkeeper is worth betting on.
Nevertheless, many will be hoping the average number of goals continues to go up, although, the bad quality of pitches also plays a part in hampering that.
jovi@observer.ug
