Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya shouts out instructions to his players during a training session at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 23, 2019.
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Jan 23 – Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya says he will give his defensive line some heavy talking to, after conceding two late goals in their 3-2 win over Tanzania Premier League leaders Yanga in the SportPesa Super Cup on Tuesday evening.
Sharks were comfortably leading 2-0 with three minutes of regulation time but conceded a cheap goal when Geoffrey Shiveka gave the ball away in a dangerous position for Amisi Tambwe to halve the deficit.
They went on to score a third, but no sooner had that happened than they conceded a second. The manner in which they conceded their first goal was a replica of the goal they conceded against Asante Kotoko in Accra in the CAF Confederations Cup.
The team has also been conceding late goals due to concentration blips and this, Muluya says is a huge concern for him.
“When the match is almost over, and you are leading 2-0, you should manage the game better especially as a defender,” Muluya pointed out.
Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya during a training session at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 23, 2019.
“It is also something that the whole team should know; a match is 90 minutes and you don’t let your guard down until it is over. The defense should also know that it is not easy to score two goals and when they slacken, then it becomes bad for us,”
“It is something that I can fix and we will talk as a team because we need maximum concentration throughout the game,” Muluya stated.
The defensive blips notwithstanding, Muluya says he was pleased that his charges booked a semi-final slot in the tournament having failed to progress past last year’s first round match in Nakuru where they lost on penalties.
The tactician says the victory was a result of the team’s preparations which included a deep analysis of Yanga’s last league game against Stand United which they lost 1-0, their first defeat in over 20 games.
Kariobangi Sharks winger Harrison Mwenda closes down on Yanga captain Ibrahim Ajib during their SportPesa Super Cup match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 22, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
“We sat together and watched that game and we knew we were coming to face a tough team. They are doing well in Tanzania, leading the standings and they have a good crop of players. Despite the fact that we saw most of their string sides, we concentrated on improving our strengths to counter them,” Muluya stated.
He added; “I am happy for the victory and more so the players because they played for the team, they played for the badge and they played for the country because we are representing Kenya here.”
Sharks who are unbeaten back home in the Kenyan Premier League will take on the winner between defending champions Gor Mahia and Mbao FC who play in the early kick off on Wednesday in the third first round match.
If they will play against Gor, then Sharks will whet their appetite as they have beaten the champions in all their past three meetings.
Sharks dumped Gor out of the Football Kenya Federation Shield in the quarters last year on penalties and went on to beat them by identical 1-0 margins in the season opening KPL Super Cup as well as a league match.
