Gor Mahia finally appointed a new head coach to take over the reigns from Johnathan McKinstry, putting an end to wide speculations by unveiling Brazilian Leonardo Martins Neiva. The weight of pressure on the 47-year-old shoulder is massive after taking charge of the record Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) champions with the CECAFA Kagame Cup being his first port of call.He will hope to surpass his compatriot and former Inter Milan defender Ze Maria who was in charge of Gor Mahia back in 2016 but failed to win a major trophy as Tusker sealed the memorable double. Having had his passport stamped in over 10 countries across the globe where he has picked up a thing or two in his work stations, Gor Mahia fans are kept guessing on what to expect from the experienced tactician. Gor Mahia facing stiff competition from two clubs in race to sign Burundian custodianNeiva has ,however, never been shy to express his utmost admiration of former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa and during his unveiling as the K’Ogalo tactician, he issued glimpses that he is cut from the same cloth as the Argentine.“My style can be very intense even on the training, so you should train like a game, that is my message to the players. We need to be tough.“My philosophy is that this is a physical game, the transition should be fast, modern football is about mixing speed and tactical organisation that is why we are going to maintain what the former coach (McKinstry) did,” said Neiva.##NAJAVA_MECA_8191715##Bielsa has won many admirers including current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with his energy supping but thoroughly entertaining style of play that involves relentless running and pressing to win and keep the ball. The Argentine’s philosophy is so gung-ho that most of his teams usually suffer what has been christened the ‘Bielsa burnout’ during the final third of the season which arises due to the intensity of his style of play.In a past interview Neiva revealed that he is from the same school of tactics as Bielsa including former Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli and former Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio who all possess a similar philosophy.Gor Mahia forward excited by return to club after successful loan spell”I admire the work of Cuca, Renato Gaúcho, Sampaoli and Osório. They all have the same mentality,” said the former Vipers head coach in an interview with Esportes.Aside from the high pressing football, Neiva still stays true to his roots by implementing Brazilian flair on his teams.“When I take over a club first of all I need to evaluate the group (of players) then curate a philosophy. Of course I’m Brazilian and we enjoy beautiful football a lot but it also has also to be competitive. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8192887##”I follow a lot of African football and I know in East Africa we have a lot of physical contact, the game is very fast, we are going to increase the ball possession. I’m a flexible coach who never keeps the same playing style,” noted Neiva during his K’Ogalo unveiling. His honours as a coach include winning the 2016 Jamaican Premier League with Montego Bay United FC, the 2015 Tanzanian Premier League, Super Cup, Community Shield Cup with Young Africans SC (Yanga), and Nelson Mandela Cup in South Africa with Platinum Stars.
