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Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Martins Neiva has identified key challengers for the FKF Premier League title while expressing confidence in his squad's ability to defend their crown after a strong start.
Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Martins Neiva has named three teams he believes will be among the main challengers for the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League title this season.
Neiva, who took over as Gor Mahia’s head coach in July, is confident in his team's title defense but is also aware of the competition that lies ahead.
Under his predecessor, Johnathan McKinstry, Gor Mahia set a high bar last season by finishing the first leg of the 2023/24 FKF Premier League campaign unbeaten.
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They played 17 games, winning ten and drawing seven, laying the groundwork for a strong title defense and ultimately, they retained the league title with three matches to spare, marking their 21st league triumph—a record in Kenyan football.
So far, Gor Mahia has kicked off the 2023/24 season with an impressive start, with a dominant 4-0 victory against newly promoted Mathare United on September 28th.
After just two matches into the season, Neiva has already identified teams that pose a threat to Gor Mahia's bid to retain the title.
"We are among the favourites together with Kenya Police, AFC Leopards, and Tusker," Neiva revealed when asked about the potential title challengers as per Flashscore.
Despite this recognition, Neiva remains optimistic about his team’s prospects.
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Gor Mahia have already scored seven goals in the league this season, with goals coming from multiple positions on the field. Only two of these goals have come from outright strikers, highlighting the versatility of the squad.
When asked about the diverse goal-scoring sources, Neiva responded, "Very good question, the modern football is like that. We must work hard to score from all positions/angles, we have a very good squad and I am very happy with their performance so far."
The Brazilian tactician has brought a fresh approach to the Gor Mahia team, focusing on all-around contributions from his players, which has allowed them to maintain their attacking momentum even without relying solely on strikers.
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Neiva, 46, brings with him a wealth of experience from his coaching stints across four continents.
His coaching career began in 2007 as an assistant coach at America CF in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Since then, he has managed clubs in North America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Africa, gaining a reputation for developing young talents and leading teams to success.
His first foray into African football came in 2008 when he joined South Africa’s Platinum Stars as an academy coach.
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He then moved to Tanzania’s Young Africans SC in 2014, where he won both the Tanzanian Super Cup and the Premier League title.
Neiva later added to his resume by guiding Jamaica’s Montego Bay United to a national championship in 2016 and also had successful spells in Brazil and Myanmar.
Now at the helm of Gor Mahia, Neiva is assisted by former Sofapaka head coach Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno and Michael Nam forming a formidable coaching team.
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