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The former Harambee Stars coach has explained what he thinks about Kenya’s outing in Doha which ended in victory for Engin Firat’s men
Former Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi feels the 2-1 win Kenya secured against Qatar in Thursday’s friendly match will give them a psychological boost ahead of their next assignments.
Kenya edged their hosts with goals from Joseph Okumu and Amos Nondi to hand coach Engin Firat the much-needed relief following their poor display at the four-nations tournament.
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12:00 - 08.09.2023
FOOTBALL: Why Kenyan fans outnumbered locals as Harambee Stars beat Qatar in Doha
Kenyans formed over 80 percent of fans at Al Janoub Stadium as Harambee Stars beat Qatar and there are a number of reasons why they were more than the natives
Stars had an enterprising game that saw them create numerous chances as opposed to the colourless show witnessed in June and Kimanzai, who had two stints with the national team, feels a win is always better no matter how you play.
“We can always build something from the result which is good because building from a positive angle is better,” Kimanzi told Pulse Sports.
“Even if you did not play well when you win, it becomes easy to connect the dots and look at what did not go right. From there, the coach is able to pass his message because the mood and environment are right and positive.”
Kimanzi was the coach when Kenya recorded their best ever FIFA ranking in 2008 when they were 68th in the world, which he recently attributed to harmony within the playing unit and technical bench plus the availability of quality players.
“We had quality players in terms of team balance, lines, and positions, which reduced the balance with team building. So, our part was just about fixing a few things. I believe the generation of footballers then was good,” he told Radull Live in June.
Looking at Firat’s tactical setup on Thursday, it could suggest Kenya is capable of playing better than witnessed in the recent past as there was a purpose to their game even if they still need to work on a few areas that let them down such as crossing and a lack of creativity from midfield.
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07:00 - 08.09.2023
FOOTBALL: Six lessons learned from Harambee Stars’ historic win over Qatar
There were plenty of positives to pick from the win over Qatar following a disappointing outing at the Four Nations Tournament.
Firat’s men face South Sudan in their next friendly match in Nairobi on Tuesday and the Turkish tactician will be seeking to continue on the positive trajectory as he prepares for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which will start in November.
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