After passing this severe test of character and quality, Vipers Sports Club are favourites to lift a double.
Here is why we have won the second Uganda Premier League title in 3 years, third in 5 years and back to back Uganda Cup finals.
Fortress – The St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende
Despite some poor results away, Vipers has been very brilliant at home winning 12 matches, drawing 2 against KCCA FC & BUL FC, losing only once to URA FC.
The Venoms have been nearly impossible to beat at St Mary’s Stadium as evidenced in the statistics above. The team’s home record has made it extremely difficult for opposition teams to take anything away from Kitende save for the three URA, KCCA and Bul therefore our home ground was a fortress.
Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa
The passion, love, hunger for success and selflessness of the Vipers SC President is an incredible and extra ordinary piece of work an attribute he has passed on to his executive, technical team and players.
The ever ambitious philanthropist settles for nothing but the best. Over and above all that he goes an extra mile and finances the club, set up a formidable structure and infrastructure which are very firm and strong bases on which the club is built.
His organisational prowess and institutionalism has attracted many followers and faithfuls and its without a doubt that the Hima’s, dfcu and Plascon’s of this world have chosen to sponsor and partner with the people’s club of choice.
The deadly trio of Manzoki, Sentamu & Karisa
In Cesar Manzoki a.k.a the Emperor, Vipers have the best striker in the country today who for the whole season has wrecked havoc to the opponents defences in the company of Yunus Sentamu and Milton Karisa.
This trio registered a return of a combined 42 goals out of the 69 Vipers scored altogether in the league, this contributes to 61% of the total number of goals scored by Vipers.
Manzoki alone has netted an amazing 18 league goals making him the leading scorer while his compatriots Yunus (14 goals) and Karisa (10 goals) featuring in the top ten on the scorers chart.
Its thus not surprising that the three have caught the eyes of various clubs around the continent putting Vipers in a challenging situation to keep the trio at Kitende next season.
They command lots of experience especially after their stints in the paid ranks outside Uganda which has enabled them torment and tear defences apart.
Having players of their calibre in your squad helps relieve the goal scoring burden to one individual and have no goal drought in the process, this trio was unstoppable.
The Genius of Robertinho, Cardoso, Male & Mugisha
Robertinho won the Uganda Cup as his first assignment with a more than convincing 8-1 drubbing of Bul FC. A repeat of last season’s final is what we shall witness this year again on June 12th when Vipers and Bul lock horns again in a back-to-back Uganda Cup final in Masindi.
The time Robertinho has been at the helm of the club is just a one season, he has proven himself to be a great tactician and disciplinarian with a great eye for talent. He has successfully changed tactics on a game by game basis and results have been coming through.
Robertinho used the resources at hand with great success and he will be out to show that he is a real force to reckon if he wins Vipers’ first ever double.
Quest for greatness & penetrating VEK
This season, all the talk has been about Vipers, its therefore not surprising that they are in quest for their first double after winning the league with a unprecedented 18 points lead over closest rivals KCCA.
There’s no doubt Vipers is currently the best team on Ugandan soil but are they the best ever? May be not and that quest to get into the ranks of SC Villa, Express FC and KCCA FC is something Vipers as a club are targeting. This will depend on the performance this year especially with the Uganda Cup in sight, Cecafa Kagame Cup and continental football waiting.
Depending on how far the Venoms will go shall determine how ready they are to penetrate and take over the dominance of the VEK teams. If Vipers want to prove they are the best team Uganda has ever seen, they will have to undoubtedly win the Uganda Cup, Cecafa and put up a very good performance at the continent that includes success in the Champions League beyond the group stages.
The midfield combo of Bobosi & Siraje Sentamu
Vipers have two of the greatest midfielders in the league and in their era. These two guys are the real reason the club’s front runners and leading marksmen have a superb goal scoring record and the two lads account for the meanness of Vipers defence.
They will also be monumental if Vipers are to be crowned double champions – Salongo. The two men have been very instrumental in Yunus, Karisa and Manzoki’s great performance as the leading marksmen of the club by creating a constant supply route which enables them to plunder goals past defences.
The creativity, style, vision and effectiveness of Bobosi is second to none on top of creating and orchestrating Vipers attacks. He has also scored a couple of spectacular goals on top of splendid assists. While Sentamu tends to drop deep and shields the back four, he also anchors the entire Vipers side and in the absence of these two. Vipers are completely a different side. They have mastered the art of marauding and bossing in the middle of the pack which has proven very crucial for the success of the club.
Solid defence
Vipers have had the meanest defence by conceding 19 goals in the entire league season. In the heart of the Vipers defence is captain Halid Lwaliwa who has also netted an incredible 4 goals in the league and Livingstone Mulondo commonly known as C4. Their partnership and consistency ensured a solid defence throughout out the season.
They have not been very troubled often and they deal with oppositions attacks fairly easily. One of the reasons for their water tight and robust defence is the presence of the two full backs in the names of Paul Willa and Disan Galiwango plus of course the much alligned midfielder Sentamu who often acts as the third centre back to repell all counter attacks by the opposition.
In the absence of these two centre backs, Hilary Mukundane has always been a perfect replacement, a confirmation that his signing was a fantastic buy.
Style of play
In the second round of the league when Vipers visited KCCA in Lugogo, Vipers dominated play on the night in a game style where Kasasiro boys are arguably the best team that can play the beautiful style which the Venoms adopted lately. But on that one evening, Vipers out played KCCA and almost denied them a sniff at goal.
So, if a team like KCCA and Police who are the best passers of the ball in Uganda struggle to even have possession, how will other teams fare?
Vipers new style of play introduced by Robertinho which includes fast and incisive passes epitomized by great counter attacks, can split even the best of defences and their patient build up opens up acres of space across the pitch.
Fear in the mind of the opponents
Most teams playing Vipers know very well that they are Uganda’s best team today and this fear does stay in the minds of the opposing team players.
As a result of this fear, teams often give too much space and respect to the venoms and end up costing themselves the game. Like police did in the last game of the season, they gave Vipers time and space required for the Kitende side to flex their muscles and it costed them dearly. 5 goals they conceded. Many teams have fallen victim of the same this season.
Once these teams give Vipers the foothold in the game, there are very few ways they can come back in the match.
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