Former Likuena head coach Moses Maliehe is confident Motebang Sera will bounce back from a second season syndrome, which most players go through after impressing in their first year at a new club.

Sera hit the ground running in his first year at Phunya-Sele-Sele netting his first goal from a penalty spot in the 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns, which was his second match at the club.

The former Matlama striker earned 20 appearances in all competitions and found the back of the net seven times, including the much-publicised brace against Kaizer Chiefs in his first season in Bloemfontein.

However, the 25-year-old has struggled to get his zeal back at John Maduka’s coached side in the 2020/2021 season and has been in and out of the squad.

Sera is still searching for his first goal in the nine games he has played so far, which is worrying as it took him just two games to get his first goal last season.

Maliehe has hinted that the departure of former Likuena captain, Lehlohonolo Seema at Bloemfontein Celtic, who played a big part in bringing Sera to the club, could be the major factor in Sera’s struggles to get his groove back in the new season.

Seema quit Celtic in July last year after he was appointed as the new head coach of Chippa United. But the team recently sacked him and he is now the assistant coach at Black Leopards.

“With Sera, a coach must understand him to be able to get the best out of him. I think the current coaches at Celtic don’t understand him,” Maliehe stated.

“I’m saying this because he has been in and out of the team which is affecting his confidence as a striker. He has to be given at least 45 minutes or the whole match to get his confidence back and the goals will also start coming back.