Police will now turn their focus to issues of the Uganda Premier League, following their exit from the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
On Tuesday 22nd April, Police fell to FUFA Big League side, Kataka on post-match penalties at the Kavumba Recreation centre.
Hours after the game, coach Matia Lule was able to have some perspective on a defeat to a team that lies seventh on the FUFA Big League table.
He said: “We are working to change the mindset in this team, to ensure that they understand that winning is not an option, but a must. In our quarter-final game against Kataka, I do not think we showed enough character.”
That aside, Lule was equally disappointed about the way they applied themselves in attack.
While Police did well defensively, and locked out Kataka from threatening their goal, coupled with relatively good build-up spells, Lule did not feel that they had the cutting edge in the opponent’s penalty area.
“We could have buried at least five good goal-scoring chances throughout the game. But we failed to utilise any of them. That is not good at all, especially when you consider that we lost on penalties,” Lule lamented.
However, Lule was quick to add that his hope is that they learn from such tough outcomes.
Right now, Lule noted, his players have been able to improve defensively, which is why in his three games in charge, they have not conceded a goal in open play.
Lule was also quick to acknowledge that since Rome was not built in one day, his focus will now shift from defence, which looks steady now, to attacking midfield and the forward line.
Since taking over the reigns at Police (a team that lost the Stanbic Uganda Cup final in 2023 to Vipers SC), they have only managed to score twice, which was against Mbarara City in the Uganda Premier League during Lule’s debut match.
Yet, Police have not been able to follow that up with goals in the two games that followed, leaving their scoring average at 0.6 goals, which will not encourage many going forward.
But at this time, Lule has to contend with the players he has at his disposal until the season ends next month, before he starts thinking about new playing personnel, to make Police better. He will probably have one or two up his sleeve.
Otherwise, on Friday, 25th April, he will be welcoming a high flying URA, who have won four league games in a row.
Lule is eagerly awaiting a positive response from his team as a reaction for exiting the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
