Tusker head coach Robert Matano has thrown down the gauntlet at his charges to polish their act before the start of the new season.
Matano said he had observed his players during their pre-season preparations and most of them appeared rusty having just emerged from the off-season.
"I must admit that the fitness levels have dipped. Hopefully, they will regain their usual form with time. They should improve as we play more matches,” Matano said.
The seasoned tactician said he is glad to have noticed the sensitive areas his players need to work on early enough, adding that their friendly matches so far had exposed all the weak spots in the team.
“It is good when mistakes happen before the start of the league because we can correct them early enough," Matano said.
He said the departure of some of their key players and a long list of injuries have occasioned critical gaps in the squad that ought to be plugged.
“We have been giving a number of our players unfamiliar roles to play because the squad members who naturally fit in some of those positions left at the end of the season,” Matano said.
He admitted they are under the pump to replicate their exploits from the two preceding seasons where they bagged back-to-back Kenyan Premier League titles.
“There is pressure on us, of course, as defending champions. It's normal for people to expect a lot from us after we successfully defended our title last season,” Matano said.
Weighing in on the quality of their new acquisitions, Matano affirmed they had begun blending well with the rest of the team.
"They are gelling well. Having been acquired from different clubs where they were accustomed to different coaching philosophies, it might take them some time to get to where they are expected to be, but they will get there nonetheless," Matano said.
The Ruaraka-based club plunged resources into the going transfer market to rope in defender Boniface Onyango, forward Eric Mmata, and midfielder Tom Teka from topflight rivals Kariobangi Sharks, with David Odoyo joining from lower-tier side Green Commandos.
Striker Eric Otieno and custodian Brian Opondo have also linked up with the brewers from Wazito and Bidco United respectively.
