Young Africans SC head coach, Romain Folz, has kicked off his first NBC Premier League season in style after guiding his team to a 3-0 victory over Pamba Jiji at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
This was Yanga’s first league game of the season, and they showed intent to defend their crown. The win also marked Folz’s third straight competitive victory, following the 1-0 triumph over Simba SC in the Community Shield and a 3-0 away win against Wiliete SC in the CAF Champions League.
So far, Folz’s team has scored seven goals without conceding. Including four pre-season friendlies, Folz has won all seven matches in charge of Yanga — a 100% record.
However, despite the impressive results, criticism has surfaced online. Some fans argue that while Yanga is winning, they are not playing entertaining football. Such reactions are not unusual, as new technical benches often face teething problems during tactical transitions.
Tactically, Folz has built on the philosophy left behind by his predecessor Miloud Hamdi, while gradually introducing his own methods. A key difference is his willingness to rotate the squad, using different players in each match to build depth.
In the match against Pamba Jiji, Folz started with six new signings, which resulted in a lack of cohesion in the first half. But after making changes and bringing on players who have been with the team longer, the rhythm and quality of play improved significantly.
This is clearly a transitional phase. In time, as players grow more familiar with each other and Folz’s system matures, Yanga is expected to showcase a higher level of football. At that point, his critics will likely run out of arguments.
For now, what matters most is that Folz is delivering the right results — and in competitive football, winning is always the ultimate benchmark.
