It is true Kenya's 2-1 win against Angola in the ongoing African Cup of Nations qualifiers revived our qualification dreams but the question is: shall we be able to withstand the forthcoming pressure in the form of crunch away games in Uganda and Angola?
Three things came out clearly as Kenya battled from a goal down to win the match. First, this was not a decent display by the national team - it was a great escape. Apart from totally dominating in all departments in the first half, the Southern Africans could easily have been 3-0 up by half time but for the heroics of goalkeeper Arnold Origi and an off-the-line clearance by defender Dennis Odhiambo.
Secondly, the match revealed that a lot needs to be done to improve our defence, which might ultimately determine whether we qualify for 2012 or not. Joseph Shikokoti was very slow both on and off the ball, Situma performed better going forward than defending and Edgar Ochieng was caught out of position on several occasions. Dennis Odhiambo had a slightly decent performance, but still, the Angolans penetrated Kenya's defence through his side too frequently.
This should not be the case as Kenya has produced great defences over the years. Think of players like Hassan Juma, John 'Bobby' Ogolla, Austine Oduor Vincent Kwarula and Sammy Omollo, amongst the many defenders that have made Kenya proud in the not-so distant past.
Even very recently, under the stewardship of Francis Kimanzi, Kenya enjoyed solid defence performances courtesy of the partnership of George Owino and Edgar Ochieng in central defence and John Njoroge on left back. Clearly, coach Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno must shuffle his defence unit if he hopes to continue enjoying the fickle support of Kenyan football fans.
The introduction of Jamal Mohammed and Victor Mugabe in the second half brought life and creativity to Kenya's mid field. these two enabled Kenya to score the two goals that won us the match. They proved that we have highly talented players that can use individual brilliance to change the course of a match. Any one who saw Nigeria's Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha's exploits in mid field will easily agree with me that on a good day Jamal Mohammed would have gone head-to-head with the great Nigerian mid field wizard.
Clearly, the onus is on Kenya's coaches to know when and where to play which mid fielder - in other words, if these gifted Kenyan mid fielders are properly selected and deployed on the pitch, Kenyans will have nothing to fear, as far as that department is concerned.
It is in the striking department that Kenya appears weakest. It is noteworthy that the two goals against Angola were scored by mid fielders. the striking trio of Bob Mugalia, Dennis Oliech and John "Black Berry" Odhiambo failed to deliver and Odhiambo had to be pulled out. Oliech threatened on several occasions but one could easily deduce that his menacing goal-bound runs and lethal strikes that have tormented African great defences, such as those of Tunisia, Morocco, Guinea and Nigeria, were missing.
It might be that the continued use of the Kenyan striker as an attacking mid fielder by his French club, Auxerre, has affected his approach of play, or it might be that he has just cooled off and will be back to his old lethal self. If so, it better be sooner rather than later. Still, we must discover another great striker soon. It is not healthy to continue our total dependence on Oliech.
03 April 2011
Sofapaka’s victory over Ismaily a turning point for Kenyan football clubs?
When Sofapaka traveled to Egypt and received a 2-0 beating from Ismaily in the CAF Confederations Cup 2nd round first leg tie, Football historians quickly drew their conclusions: the end result would be familiar – the Egyptians would go to Nairobi, force out a barren (or any other draw), and bundle out the Kenyan club, ‘just like in all previous encounters’.
Only a year ago, Ismaily had booted Sofapaka out of the CAF Champions League with an identical 2-0 score at home and a 0-0 draw in Nairobi. To paint Sofapaka’s prospects even darker, the local media kept reminding readers that no Kenyan team had ever eliminated an Egyptian club from continental competition. The great AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia squads of the 70s and 80s had attempted to end this jinx but they always ended up on the losing side.
It was therefore unbelievable, both for Kenyan and Egyptian football fans, that Sofapaka had eliminated Ismaily FC from the CAF Confederations Cup with a 4-0 thrashing in Nairobi and a 4-2 aggregate score. They thus rewrote Kenyan football history by becoming the first local side to eliminate an Egyptian side from African competition.
Yet, on deep reflection, perhaps we shouldn’t be so amazed. Sofapaka have already achieved so much within a very short time, the greatest - being crowned Kenyan Premier League Champions in the club’s first year in the Premier League. A close scrutiny of this club reveals that they have all the requisite ingredients for success.
Ambition is very important for any successful undertaking and Sofapaka have proved that they have plenty of it. Look at their player recruitment policy. The club has not shied away from spending heavily in order to recruit the best players in the local league – their playing unit is comprised of players from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo DR, Burundi and (until the end of 2010 season), Nigeria.
The club also clearly rates competence highly when recruiting coaches. Their first coach in the premier league, Mr Robert Matano, was a highly respected tactician but he was quickly shoved aside when the club felt he had reached the summit of his potential. When the highly rated Sam Ssimbwa, poached from the Uganda national team, failed to deliver after only a few months on the job, he was quietly shown the door and the club’s president went for, arguably, the best coach in Kenya today, Mr Francis Kimanzi.
Additionally, the club is run very professionally. Mr Ally Kalekwa, the club’s flamboyant president, is the local equivalent of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich in terms of desire and demand for results. He invests heavily in the club, insists on proper and professional football management, then demands that players and coaching staff deliver on the pitch.
Contrast this with the vague leadership structures of Kenya’s institutional clubs or the utter confused and politicized management that is the norm amongst the country’s community clubs, some of which, like Re Union and Shabana, have been driven into extinction by these clueless leaders.
If you doubt Sofapaka’s organization, just follow their supporters through a few matches and you will discover a deliberately organized corporate branding process. The supporters have developed a very well choreographed and identifiable cheering routine, complete with well designed costumes. The club’s cheering squad’s passion is perhaps second only to that of Gor Mahia fans.
Finally, Sofapaka players have shown admirable commitment whenever they have found themselves in a do-or-die situation. When they knew they had to beat Ulinzi Stars away in Nakuru to win the 2009 Kenya Premier League, they came out fighting and never relented until the final whistle. Indeed, the self-belief and desire of these players in the various championship and knock out duels they have been involved in has been really astounding.
Two goals down after the first leg in Egypt,and with history harshly against them, club captain James Situma had this to say when asked about their chances: “Yes, the Egyptians have always been on top of us and it will be a hard job but not impossible. We simply have to score at least three goals and not concede a goal”.
After 90 minutes of fast paced and inspired performance, the club had put four goals past the fighting Egyptians. Now it is up to other Kenyan clubs to copy this fighting spirit and ensure that henceforth, Egyptian clubs and national team will not celebrate whenever they are drawn against Kenyan opposition.
Only a year ago, Ismaily had booted Sofapaka out of the CAF Champions League with an identical 2-0 score at home and a 0-0 draw in Nairobi. To paint Sofapaka’s prospects even darker, the local media kept reminding readers that no Kenyan team had ever eliminated an Egyptian club from continental competition. The great AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia squads of the 70s and 80s had attempted to end this jinx but they always ended up on the losing side.
It was therefore unbelievable, both for Kenyan and Egyptian football fans, that Sofapaka had eliminated Ismaily FC from the CAF Confederations Cup with a 4-0 thrashing in Nairobi and a 4-2 aggregate score. They thus rewrote Kenyan football history by becoming the first local side to eliminate an Egyptian side from African competition.
Yet, on deep reflection, perhaps we shouldn’t be so amazed. Sofapaka have already achieved so much within a very short time, the greatest - being crowned Kenyan Premier League Champions in the club’s first year in the Premier League. A close scrutiny of this club reveals that they have all the requisite ingredients for success.
Ambition is very important for any successful undertaking and Sofapaka have proved that they have plenty of it. Look at their player recruitment policy. The club has not shied away from spending heavily in order to recruit the best players in the local league – their playing unit is comprised of players from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo DR, Burundi and (until the end of 2010 season), Nigeria.
The club also clearly rates competence highly when recruiting coaches. Their first coach in the premier league, Mr Robert Matano, was a highly respected tactician but he was quickly shoved aside when the club felt he had reached the summit of his potential. When the highly rated Sam Ssimbwa, poached from the Uganda national team, failed to deliver after only a few months on the job, he was quietly shown the door and the club’s president went for, arguably, the best coach in Kenya today, Mr Francis Kimanzi.
Additionally, the club is run very professionally. Mr Ally Kalekwa, the club’s flamboyant president, is the local equivalent of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich in terms of desire and demand for results. He invests heavily in the club, insists on proper and professional football management, then demands that players and coaching staff deliver on the pitch.
Contrast this with the vague leadership structures of Kenya’s institutional clubs or the utter confused and politicized management that is the norm amongst the country’s community clubs, some of which, like Re Union and Shabana, have been driven into extinction by these clueless leaders.
If you doubt Sofapaka’s organization, just follow their supporters through a few matches and you will discover a deliberately organized corporate branding process. The supporters have developed a very well choreographed and identifiable cheering routine, complete with well designed costumes. The club’s cheering squad’s passion is perhaps second only to that of Gor Mahia fans.
Finally, Sofapaka players have shown admirable commitment whenever they have found themselves in a do-or-die situation. When they knew they had to beat Ulinzi Stars away in Nakuru to win the 2009 Kenya Premier League, they came out fighting and never relented until the final whistle. Indeed, the self-belief and desire of these players in the various championship and knock out duels they have been involved in has been really astounding.
Two goals down after the first leg in Egypt,and with history harshly against them, club captain James Situma had this to say when asked about their chances: “Yes, the Egyptians have always been on top of us and it will be a hard job but not impossible. We simply have to score at least three goals and not concede a goal”.
After 90 minutes of fast paced and inspired performance, the club had put four goals past the fighting Egyptians. Now it is up to other Kenyan clubs to copy this fighting spirit and ensure that henceforth, Egyptian clubs and national team will not celebrate whenever they are drawn against Kenyan opposition.
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