Okumbi tips confident Stars to reach greater heights

Harambee Stars first coach, Stanley Okumbi, has termed the current national team a much more confident squad from the one he took over from Bobby Williamson in February while also lauding their ability to learn quickly from their mistakes as the Stars increasingly start to look like a formidable side under his stewardship.

Speaking during the team’s arrival on Wednesday after stunning Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) giants, DR Congo, 1-0 in a friendly match on Tuesday, Okumbi added that the technical team equally deserved credit for helping mastermind the famous win.

“DRC is a big team and very tough to play against but we had already analyzed all of their last three matches so we knew how to approach them. They have great players who are very dedicated and despite a strong start from them, we managed to contain them for the first 15 minutes.

“We executed our plan well and we’ve all gained more experience from the match. With the commitment the players are showing we can accomplish a lot,” the former Mathare United and Kariobangi Sharks boss told Citizen Digital.

Okumbi added that the frequent friendly matches were getting have been vital in helping the players gain more exposure which has, in turn, impacted their ability to adapt to different game situations.

“Their coordination looks more improved and you can see their style of playing has more skill and purpose. The local players, for example, Jockins Atudo (Posta Rangers), Victor Majid (Chemelil Sugar) and Johanna Omollo (Mathare United) have proven that they can be relied on. From their work rate both in training and on the pitch you can see they’re ready to play,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zambia-based defender David ‘Calabar’ Owino who was stepping up for Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder, Victor Wanyama, as the Stars’ captain said that their victory over Congo has given the team extra motivation.

“It is such a confidence booster to win against a top team like DRC. The plans to play big teams and more friendly matches will pay off and after the win away, the plan is to train adequately as we prepare for the next games,” a proud Calabar said after captaining the side to a win over Everton FC’s 25million pound man, Yannick Bolasie.

On his part, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President, Nick Mwendwa, revealed ambitious plans to organize even more high profile friendlies for the national team, hinting at the possibility of exploring Europe next after a November tie against Benin.

“The results are fantastic but more work needs to be done. We’ve gone six matches unbeaten and that shows a lot of hard work is being put in behind the team in order to achieve them.

“Together with the ministry, our focus is now to build better structures that can complement Nyayo and Kasarani stadiums ahead of the Cecafa Cup tournament where we’ll give more local players a chance to shine,” Mwendwa asserted.

-Report by Sofia Jusa