LILONGWE, Malawi, Jun 11 – Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat says the ‘bad news’ around the team over the course of this round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers has necessitated him to focus more on the psychological aspect for Tuesday’s duel against Ivory Coast.
Missing key players and being forced to play their two home matches in Malawi, are some of the factors that the tactician says have affected the team psychologically.
“In my plan, I had hoped to play in front of 40,000 Kenyans tomorrow (Tuesday). Sometimes even when you make the plans they don’t work. We had eight players missing against Burundi and now against Ivory Coast we will have one more and this means the plans are broken. We are not a country that can replace every player,” the tactician said, speaking on Monday evening ahead of the game.
He adds; “If you get all the time negative news it has an effect on the players. The situation is more psychological than the football.”
Among the key players that Kenya has missed during this round of qualifiers include central defender Joseph ‘Crouch’ Okumu, left back Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma as well as forwards Ayub Time and Masud Juma.
England-based Zak Vyner and Germany-based Tobias Knost have not been able to play due to issues of documentation. While Vyner has already left the camp in Malawi, Knost has remained with the hope his documents will be ready in time.
Firat calls in three new players
Defender Collins Shichenje has also pulled out of camp due to injury, though he was not on the pitch against Burundi but only named on the bench.
For the game against Ivory Coast, Firat has called in defender Clyde Senaji who plays in Malawi with Nyasa Big Bullets as well as David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng of Kenya Police FC.
Looking forward to the Ivory Coast duel, Firat says the team should approach the game with confidence, and has said there should be no stage fright issues from his players, despite most being from the local league.
“When I came in here, I insisted for us to play against big nations. We played against Asian champions Qatar, former European champions Russia because I wanted them to get the self confidence and not feel like they are less. I don’t think we will have a confidence problem,” noted the coach.
Approach game cautiously
Firat said that they will give their best against the African champions, and notes they will need to approach the game cautiously.
“Ivory Coast are at a higher level and they will be a stronger team than us because they have their full squad here. We need to approach the game well and try to get a win. We need to get our real way of playing back and have confidence on the pitch. It is a possibility not just for the number one in the group but the number two as well so we have to fight to win,” stated the tactician.
The tactician also said he was concerned with some individual mistakes that have led to dropping of points in other matches, putting into perspective the game against Burundi where a last minute error gifted the opponents a last minute goal.
Lack of experience in squad
“When you have players who lack experience they can make individual mistakes but we need to grow. The big picture for me is the 2027 AFCON and these are the players who will represent us so we need to keep learning and getting it right,” added the coach.
Kenya can potentially move to second in the standings by Tuesday night with a win over the Ivorians, and they will stand only two points adrift. However, defeat would have a fatal blow on the country’s hope for a maiden World Cup.
