Kowa Upbeat Ahead Of Champions League Challenge
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday August 2, 2021 12:19
The Notwane assistant coach replaces yet another seasoned tactician, Philemon Makhwengwe whose services have since been snatched by Premiership side, Orapa United.
As they enter an unfamiliar territory in women club football, Kowa says he is banking on the experience he had with the Mares in 2018 when he was a technical advisor to coach, Gaolethoo ‘Ronaldo’ Nkutlwisang. He will first have guide his side out of the Group A of the tournament that includes Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, eSwatini’s Manzini Wanderers and Lesotho Defence Force. Kowa however regards the group as a fair one for his side to advance to knockout stages of the qualifiers. “I have friends in South Africa, coaches who we discuss football matters and they have given me a little bit of insight on what to expect from Sundowns. Once again Sundowns is a team that we have been following closely and studying. The girls have played against the team from eSwatini before and we shared information, and that is good for football where your players can also educate you as a coach. Our worry will be the team from Lesotho because we do not know anything about them.”
“I am happy that I am working with a squad that has a number of national team players. They are used to traveling and playing outside the country and that is very important when we play in a tournament like this,” Kowa said. His worry however is that the players’ fitness level ahead of the tournament that will be played in a month’s time.
From just a week drilling the team, he says his squad’s fitness level is low but is adamant that there is enough time to prepare. “I am not happy at all with the players’ fitness levels. Some of them have been with the national teams and you may think they are fit. But I need the team to be football matches fit. So what we have been working is drills that involve a lot of ball play.
The other thing is that we are dealing with a pandemic as a country and the players have also been affected. Ahead of a tournament such as this, we have to put work on preparing their mental strength,” Kowa said. Action booked a ticket to the inaugural tournament after replacing Prisons XI who pulled out due to budgetary constraints.