Harambee Stars head coach Francis Kimanzi is seeking to build on the team’s impressive display in their 2-1 win against visitors Zambia in a friendly match with their eyes now trained on Africa Cup of Nations double-header with Comoros.
Kimanzi said he drew a lot of lessons from the match and will use his notes to spruce up the squad as he aims for satisfactory results in the qualifier.
He said challenges occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic greatly compromised the team’s preparations but insisted he wouldn’t have asked for anything more from his charges.
“It’s a great game for us. I’m very happy with the result considering that I didn’t get enough time to prepare the boys. This left me with no option but to field with low fitness levels,” said Kimanzi.
The general was subsequently quick to jump to the defence of his lieutenants.
“I expected us to wade through the match in the last twenty minutes or so which actually happened after some of our players gave in to fatigue. It’s understandable given the situation we have gone through since the outbreak of Covid-19,” said Kimanzi.
Kimanzi is, however, taking home the positives from the tie and believes the baptism of fire provided them with an appropriate platform to gauge their current form and adjust accordingly.
“What’s more, we came out with a win against a well moulded Zambian side. The outcome has provided us with a good platform for the upcoming Afcon qualifiers against Comoros. Had we crashed to Zambia, it would have given us sleepless nights but we feel motivated after fighting and achieving a positive result.”
Custodian Ian Otieno gave goalkeeper trainer Lawrence Webo enough reason to believe in him although his distribution is still far from perfect.
