Sofapaka head coach Divaldo Alves has been left impressed with the team’s improvement since he took charge a week ago.
Alves oversaw his first friendly match since taking charge with Sofapaka playing to a 1-1 draw with National Super League side Ushuru over the weekend.
The coach fielded all players in the friendly played at the Ruaraka Complex with Elli Asieche scoring Sofapaka’s goal.
“The players are improving a lot since I came in. In the first half we enjoyed to see us playing football, trying to put our crosses, put into details what we have worked on and I am happy we are coming up step by step,” the tactician stated.
The team is scheduled to have one more friendly match this week as the tactician steps up his training to ensure the team completely grasps his playing style and tactics ahead of the start of the new season.
“There are several things we need to work on. We need to be better offensively but biggest of all, we need to improve in our defensive movements,” the coach stated on the clubs official portal.
Skipper George Maelo, meanwhile, believes the team will be sharp and ready when the Kenyan Premier League season kicks off at the end of the month. Maelo says he is impressed with how players are working in pre-season training and notes everyone is putting in a shift to be in tip-top condition for the new campaign.
“We started a bit slow but now we have picked up so well. We are training hard trying to get into the best physical shape and the players are giving their all. We know it is going to be a competitive season,” Maelo said.
“We have the new coach in and some new players too and we are trying to gel as well as grasp the coach’s philosophy and how he wants us to play. So far so good but there is still work to be done,” added the law enforcement officer.
Maelo has also lauded the new players who have come in for their work ethic and believes competition for places this season will be high. The 2009 league winners kick off the 2019-2020 campaign against Posta Rangers, who retained their top-flight status via playoff victory over second tier outfit, Nairobi Stima.
