Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has shared how he managed to secure victory for the first time in charge of Kenya.
McCarthy saw his charges win 2-1 in a friendly match against Chad on Tuesday in what was a second encounter against the very opponent, having played out a goalless draw on Saturday when his team created numerous chances but failed to convert.
South Africa’s all-time top scorer says he went back to training and worked on his players’ movements in and around the box and was delighted that it came off in the game with forwards Emmanuel Osoro and David Sakwa scoring in the first half for the Harambee Stars before Chad pulled one back in the second half.
Benni breaks down winning formula
“It was based on our first game against them [Chad] because we did well but what we lacked was being clinical and I think the training session we did yesterday [Monday] before the game was about players being comfortable on the ball and what you do when you get past the halfway line and then it is to attack with speed and move the ball quicker and just faster not to allow the opposition team not to get in their position,” said McCarthy.
“It was a lot of movements, players getting from one side to the other, getting down to the touchline and putting balls in but players getting inside the box, making that near post run and exactly the first goal came from Ben Stanley getting down, putting in a beautiful cross and them Emmanuel Osoro making that near post run that we talked about yesterday and he got rewarded with his finish.”
The former AmaZulu and Cape Town City coach has been impressed with what he has seen and feels he will have a better team for Kenya at the delayed 2024 African Nations Championships that will be played in East Africa in August.
What next for the Harambee Stars?
“You know what you want to do, the professionalism, and it worked fantastically because these players were very experimental and they were key to what we are trying to do and I think for the boys that will play in the CHAN, I hope from here they have seen the levels we expect and if we reach there,” he added.
“The football we can play and the results we could get so positive things to look forward to CHAN and I am excited that the team will be ready and we will have a good time and prep them so that when CHAN comes, this team will be ready to go and hopefully we can bless the country with move victories to make them happy.”
McCarthy’s next assignment will be the CHAN 2024 tournament, set to kick off on August 2 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with his side in a tough Group A that has Morocco, Angola, Zambia and DR Congo.
