Benni McCarthy reveals how Jose Mourinho’s influence is helping him in Kenya

Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy is grateful that he played under Jose Mourinho as most of what he learned from him is coming in handy in his coaching career.

McCarthy has seen his Kenyan team play with 10 men in their last two matches at the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN 2024) but picked up points from both of them after a great defensive performance from his team.

Kenya played with 10 men against Angola for over 70 minutes on Thursday but still managed to salvage a 1-1 draw and on Sunday, they had a man less for the entire second half against Morocco but kept their 1-0 lead intact to win the match.

Mourinho’s influence rubbing off on Benni

McCarthy says Mourinho’s tactics have come in handy during the difficult moments and is thankful that he crossed paths with the legendary Portuguese coach who is known for grinding out results from the most difficult of circumstances.

“I played under a certain manager — Jose Mourinho — the master of such game management. To play with 10 players is hell, but we used to do it as if it was routine. I learned the trade from him: where to tighten, who to sacrifice,” McCarthy, who played under Mourinho at FC Porto said after his team’s win over Morocco.

“It's not always neat for the fans, but you cling on to your lead at any cost. Defenders may be required to do midfielders' or strikers' work. That's what I learned from Jose — when you lose a player, you send off a striker, keep one workhorse up front, and the others ‘park the bus' (or in our case, park a train and a bus in front!).’

What is next for McCarthy’s Kenya?

“It’s come in handy these last two games, but I’m praying that against Zambia — no yellow cards, no red cards, please.”

Mourinho has become the master of defensive masterclasses with his teams known to be very hard to beat after taking a lead and McCarthy looks to have been a good student.

South Africa’s all-time top scorer will, however, be hoping for change in circumstances when the Harambee Stars face Zambia in their final group stage match on Sunday when a win will see them finish top of Group A.