Harambee Stars Head Coach Benni McCarthy during a training session in Morocco/HANDOUTHarambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy will be eyeing his
first victory when his charges clash with Chad at the Marrakech Stadium in
Morocco at 6pm.
Today’s clash against Chad will be the second leg of their
international friendly fixtures, aimed at sharpening the team’s edge ahead of
the Africa Nations Championships (Chan) scheduled for August.
In their first encounter on Saturday, the two played to a
frustrating, barren draw under extreme conditions.
McCarthy admitted pressure from fans who are eager to see
the national team return to winning ways.
“We expect a lot from
our players; we are trying to make them feel the necessity to shine in the
global stage.” Benni added.
McCarthy insists that the international friendlies will be
instrumental in the squad selection for the CHAN tournament.
“We want to be prepared for the Chad game; we want to have
the perfect squad, which will help us select the squad for CHAN. We try to pick
the best players we have from this selection.”
“This friendly matches are experimental because we are
judged by results.” The tactician said after their final training session on
Monday.
He further highlighted the importance of the friendly
matches in building chemistry.
“We are trying to bond the squad for CHAN because we are not
where we want to be.”
He also added that players based both in Kenya and
internationally have to earn the spot for call-up to the national team. “We call players
based on their performance.”
Veteran defender Brian Mandela highlighted the team’s wastefulness in front of the goal.
“We lack composure upfront, and that’s what we are working on
in training.”
He added that more young players should be given a chance to
feature for the national team.
“We try to help each other. Kenyans are naturally welcoming; the young lads feel free because we receive them warmly.”
