The battle for promotion is still on with 5th-placed Luanda Villa just 10 points off the top. At the summit, it looks like Naivas, Mathare United and Mara Sugar will battle for the coveted automatic promotion slots.Seven clubs are still to put a footing in the league and are involved in the drop zone including debutants Rainbow FC, Kajiado FC, Vihiga Bullets, Mulembe United, Gusii, Silibwet Leons, and Mombasa Elite.##NAJAVA_MECA_7766675##Below is the National Super League in numbers as compiled by Mozzart Sport Top Scorers The NSL has produced some spectacular goals in the first quarter of the campaign with strikers more actively involved than in recent seasons, with a total of 343 goals scored in the 140 matches completed so far, averaging 2.5 goals per match.The teams that are scoring well at the moment are Mara Sugar with 29 goals (18 at home and 11 away), interesting Philemon Nyakwaka has scored 14 of the goals for the Millers which places the on-form netbuster at the helm of the league’s top scorers’ chart.A rejuvenated Kisumu All Stars under the tutelage of Charles Bruno follow closely with 27 goals this term having registered 14 at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu while 13 strikes have come on away duty. Captain Michael Karamor leads the Eagles attack line with nine goals having made a switch to the club from Kakamega Homeboyz at the start of the season.Shabana FC, Murang’a Seal FC, KCB FC, and Kenya Police FC have all expressed interest in signing Mara Sugar FC striker Philemon Nyakwaka in January.The attacker has scored 14 goals so far this season. #FootballKE pic.twitter.com/M0o2sOu2PI— Ole Teya (@TeyaKev) December 22, 2023 Naivas and Mathare United complete the list of best-scoring clubs with 24 and 21 goals respectively, while the shoppers have hugely depended on Robert Ponda and Derrick Anami for the goals, the slum boys have had goals coming from every department on the field.Speaking on his club’s excellent goal-scoring form, Mara interim coach Godfrey Naibei noted that “the cohesion among our strikers has worked perfectly well, they have played together for at least two seasons and there is an understanding between them, we expect to bang more goals once Mohammed Baraza makes a return from the injury lay off.” On the contrary, Vihiga Bullets, Mombasa Elite, and Silibwet Leons have conceded the most goals in the league with the George Owoko-coached Bullets shipping in 29, Elite 26, and Silibwet have allowed in 24 times.Shabana, Murang’a join race to sign in-form Mara forward NyakwakaClean Sheets “Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles” – is a famous Sir Alex Ferguson quote that most NSL teams are shying away from.Defensively, the second tier still has a lot to cover, the majority of the clubs have been allowing goals worthy to raise an alarm. But which are the teams that have defended well in the first quarter of the league? Perhaps, promotion contenders have found a way of associating with the famous Ferguson phrase and have the most alert defense in the league.League leaders Naivas have amassed 10 clean slates in 14 matches, while Mara Sugar, Luanda Villa, and Darajani Gogo have recorded seven clean sheets each alongside Mathare United.Gogo assistant coach Andrea Ongwae who boosts vast knowledge in the second tier from his playing days at Shabana and Zoo says that the descending quality in defense in the Super League can be blamed on the coaches who have switched the play of style in preference of attacking football.“Teams are building more in attacking than defending, almost every team is now playing attacking football and they forget to reinforce the defense. A good league is measured by its defenders, if we cannot contain opponents and every weekend we are producing goals glamour then there is no league. Let’s embrace change and train our clubs in both aspects of the game.”NSL 2023: Shabana fanfare, Mathare relegation and revival of enthusiasmBest Performers home and awayThe 2023/2024 season is not different from the previous campaigns, club’s tendency of collecting points at home and struggling away has persisted, but who has the best home and away record?A visit to Moi Stadium is a tough adventure for any NSL club, the lakeside team has made the grounds a fortress for any visiting team. The Kisumu County-powered club have collected maximum points in six matches while playing out a stalemate in seven games staged in front of their fans. The former FKF Premier League side alongside Naivas and Luanda Villa have a perfect home record. SS Assad, Mathare United, and Naivas have proved hard nuts to crack when on the home turf.Collins Omondi has found a way to awaken a sleeping giant in the shoppers (Naivas) after a disastrous away form cost them promotion last term, the chain markets have come out solid this term and hold the best away record in the league having collected 16 points from 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 defeat. Mathare United (13) and Mara Sugar (12) are the other two best-performing teams far from the home turf.Ukunda-based Assad and Rainbow remain the only two teams yet to win an away game, fourteen matches into the season whereas Gusii and Mombasa Elite have gathered 3 points in seven games far from the sight of the home fans.
