Harambee Stars need to improve before Zambia come calling

Kenya's national football team Harambee Stars has left a lot of 'ifs' in the minds of long suffering fans following the team's recent performances.

First, a commendable performance against Congo in the African Cup of Nations 2017 qualifiers was nullified by poor defending and wasteful finishing. If Harambee Stars' defender Jackson Saleh had not needlessly conceded a penalty and had Kenya's strikers been more clinical, the team would have returned from Congo with all three points.

It was a strange case of de javu that during Kenya's next match, an away Champions of African Nations 2016 qualifier against Ethiopia, defender Saleh conceded a second consecutive penalty in a game Kenya lost 2-0. However, the talking point of the game is that if forward Kevin Kimani had not fluffed Kenya's own penalty opportunity, the national team would have returned from Ethiopia with the advantage of an away goal.

Instead, the team faced a defensive-minded Ethiopia in the return match at home with the disadvantage of needing to score three clear goals to progress further in the tournament reserved for home based players. When the gods of good fortune presented Kenya with a sniff of opportunity towards this end, Gor Mahia's Ali Hassan Abondo repeated Kevin Kimani's act by wasting Kenya's penalty chance.

Had these two penalty opportunities been converted, Kenya would have knocked out Ethiopia due to the away-goal rule. But it was not to be and the team has gone back to the drawing board to scheme how to beat Zambia, Kenya's next Afcon opponents.

Zambia is a far more superior team but the fact that the match will be happening in Nairobi should feed every one concerned with a dose of optimism that Kenya can secure the first win in the tournament and put smiles on the faces of fans who have been hurt far too many times.

Needless to say, coach Bobby Williamson must plug the team's defensive and attacking weaknesses before the September match day for that to happen. Let us hope it shall not be another case of 'ifs' and regrets.