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Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat is disappointed that he will not implement a new formation since a large number of his experienced defenders are out of the Four Nations Tournament.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat is likely to be without five of his experienced defenders during the Four Nations Tournament in Malawi this week.
Firat is finalising preparations before heading to Malawi but he has doubts about his backline with a host of new names likely to get the nod.
“We have some problems, Marcelo [Erick Ouma] you know anyway, so Joseph [Okumu] we will see. He had a problem with his abductor, Dennis Ng’ang’a has a problem with his muscle,” Firat told the media on Tuesday.
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07:32 - 15.03.2024
FOOTBALL Analysing Engin Firat's latest Harambee Stars squad for Malawi Four Nations Tournament
A deep dive into Engin Firat's latest 27-man Harambee Stars squad for the upcoming Malawi Four Nations tournament.
“Daniel Anyembe was a long time out so these players are not for sure but for me, it was important to invite some new players here and we have a lot of young players with us like Kaycie Odhiambo, Chris Erambo, David [Sakwa], Jonah Ayunga.”
The tactician is also not sure about the availability of Johnstone Omurwa, leaving him with Collins Sichenje and Alphonce Omija as the only fit options at center-back.
Firat is disappointed that the injuries have disrupted his game plan as he was out to try out a new formation in Malawi.
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07:52 - 17.03.2024
FOOTBALL Michael Olunga’s form sweet music to Engin Firat’s ears ahead of Four Nations tournament
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga maintained his hot scoring streak by bagging a brace on Friday which should delight coach Engin Firat heading into the Four Nations tournament.
“I am happy with the new ones and even if we have all these players missing, it is a good time to try new things. As coaches, sometimes our plans explode,” he added.
“Like I wanted to try a three-man defence in this tournament but I cannot play that without Marcelo so I cancelled it and we will try some new options. We are still in the process of making the team, football is not only 11 players.”
The Harambee Stars boss wants the players to take advantage of the tournament to learn more since they do not have much else after that with the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and African champions Ivory Coast slated for June.
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15:01 - 18.03.2024
FOOTBALL Bandari's David Sakwa elated by maiden Harambee Stars call-up just weeks after signing from Div One outfit
Bandari forward David Sakwa was called up to the Harambee Stars squad just a few weeks after making his top flight debut and he is looking forward to a successful outing.
“We have like 30 players so we will give new ones a chance and this is the last tournament before the real action in June and I hope we will have good preparations and not last seconds like it has been before,” said Firat.
Kenya will begin their Four Nations campaign against hosts Malawi on Saturday March 23.
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