• Ghost also defended Stars’ coach line-up, saying someone had to be dropped at the end of it all.
• He said the midfield is laden with quality and the coach is spoilt for choice.
Former Harambee Stars' coach Jacob Mulee has cited Tanzania as Harambee Stars’ most difficult opponent in Group ‘C’ but tipped the Sebastien Migne’s quality tutored side to progress from the group stages of the African Cup of Nations starting next week in Egypt.
Mulee, who guided Stars to the tournament in 2004 when Kenya last graced the event and also coached Tanzanian Club Yanga, is aware of the threat being posed by Taifa Stars. He said Harambee Stars must be worried of Tanzania and must pay total attention when they face them.
He said: “We have to be worried about Tanzania because you do not know what to expect from them. They are equally a good side that poses a big threat to our ambitions of progressing from the group stages. The team must be careful to avoid an upset from the neighbours.”
He, however, noted that he has no doubt that Kenya’s Harambee Stars will sail to the second round of the event. “ We only need to beat Algeria and draw with Senegal and we are good to go,” said.
He showered the Kenyan defence with praise, noting that they have conceded only a goal during the qualifiers. He said: “Even during our recent friendly with Madagascar, we did not concede but scored. Basically, we are okay defensive-wise and we should capitalise on this to tame our opponents,” he added.
Ghost also defended Stars’ coach line-up, saying someone had to be dropped at the end of it all. “He has always been with that team and we can not fault him. He knows the players better and we need to respect his decisions.
“I know there was a furore after he dropped midfielder Anthony Akumu from the 23-man squad but the truth must be told; competition in the midfield is cut-throat and some players were bound to be axed. He needed 23 players, so what did we expect him to do?” Wondered Ghost.
He said the midfield is laden with quality and the coach is spoilt for choice. He said: “Dropping Akumu is not a surprise because the midfield is packed and the coach has a lot of options in this position.”
He said Migne will still face the challenge when picking his top 11 players, considering the quality at his disposal. He said while players like goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, Victor Wanyama and Michael Olunga are sure bets to start, he will have to scratch his head to fill the other positions. “This, however, is a good headache for the coach as this will make players work harder,” he noted.
The former Tusker coach added that Migne will have to capitalise on the pace and power of wingers Paul Were and Ayub Timbe who are capable of unlocking opposition defences.
“If Migne can take advantage of the pace possessed by Were and Timbe, I think our strikers will have chances to score. The two are the team’s creative hub from the flanks and have proved that they are ready to perform at the highest level. This team I am sure will go past the group stage.”
Stars open the campaign against the1990 Afcon winners Algeria on June 23 before playing Tanzania and Senegal on 27th and July 1st respectively.