Strathmore Gladiators coach Meshack Senge wants his charges to embrace teamwork in order to arrest their persistent poor form in the Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League.
The experienced tactician said players must sacrifice individual brilliance and focus on collective effort when they face off against in-form Western Jaguars on Sunday.
The former champions have managed a solitary win in the last five matches and their early season imperious form seems to have faded.
Scorpions lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture played in Kakamega three weeks ago courtesy of a 44th-minute strike from Conrad Wafula.
However, the Nairobi duel is more important to Strath than the Jaguars considering their precarious position in the standings.
Gladiators are eighth in the 10-team league with 13 points—four fewer than third-placed Jaguars with 17. Jaguars take on USIU-A Mashujaa on Saturday in the back-to-back fixture.
"We started well but our performance has dropped lately and we are concerned about that," said Senge who guided Gladiators to the title in 2016.
"Players must embrace teamwork and help the team rediscover their spark. I am not totally against individual brilliance because you sometimes need magic from individuals to win matches but players must not overdo things."
The former decade-long-serving national men's team coach averred that a change in mentality is desperately needed.
"Our confidence has obviously dipped. Players need a bulletproof mentality to rise again. Going back to basics would help a great deal. Players have the pedigree to perform but game management is a necessity in this cut-throat league."
In the women's cadre, USIU-A Spartans will be playing their first matches after six months. Coached by Willis Okeyo, Spartans will hope to pick up from where they left off against struggling Amira Sailors and Wolverines respectively.
Spartans registered two wins and a draw prior to the long break to occupy the fourth slot. Sailors are winless in seven encounters with just four draws to their name, condemning them to the bottom of the seven-team standings.
In the women's Super League, table-topping Kenyatta University Titans have a date with Vikings and Nairobi Chapel on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
