Exactly halfway through the season in the Botswana Premier League, South African coach Morena Ramoreboli is launching a tangible challenge for the title with second-placed Jwaneng Galaxy.
Galaxy, who are level on points (37) with log leaders Gaborone United, cruised to an emphatic 7-0 victory over 14th placed Prisons XI, which was their 11th win in 15 matches. Galaxy are unbeaten under Ramoreboli this season and they are the top scorers in the league with 38 goals. They have the second joint best defence in the league, having conceded 12 goals.
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As they prepare for the second half of the season, Ramoreboli wants the team to remain humble and consistent. Galaxy have been champions once in the past, clinching the title in 2020. They have been runners-up on three occasions.
"To be honest, it's a very tough league. We are sitting number two. The league is tight and there are a few clubs doing well. There is Orapa, Rollers, Security Systems, Masitaoka and Gaborone United. There are about six teams who are competing for the championship, so it's still wide open. For us, it's about concentrating more on collecting points and being consistent with our game and our way of playing and make sure that we really raise the bar and be able to compete until the end," Ramoreboli told the Siya crew.
"It's still early to say Gaborone United or Jwaneng Galaxy can win the league, but we are trying our level best to ensure that we remain consistent. Being consistent can give us an opportunity to be number one at some point. But the most important thing is to keep collecting points. The issues of position and issues of the championship will sort itself out. We are trying our level best to remain humble and to continue working hard. We cannot afford to drop points because we are going into the final phase of the season, which needs us to be more focused and consistent. We will do our best to bring something to the Jwaneng community."
Ramoreboli is aware that, as a foreign, he is under pressure to succeed to prove his worth in the league.
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"There's always pressure. Any football club, especially an ambitious club like Galaxy, will always put goals and one of the objectives is to compete for the championship. But we still need to win matches before we can talk about the championship. But as a coach, I'd obviously want to win the championship, so it's pressure from within to try to do well. You can't be a foreign coach and still be like a local coach. As a foreign coach, you are under pressure to do well."
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