Coach Patrick Aussems says Nairobi United are ready for the delayed 2026/27 SportPesa League season.
However, the Belgian coach knows his players must quickly adjust after the campaign was delayed by legal and administrative disputes.
United will start their league campaign away to Murang’a Seal FC on Saturday after the opening fixtures were rescheduled.
The league was held up by court injunctions, promotion disputes and questions over federation governance.
Nairobi United signed Ugandans Muhammad Shaban, Titus Ssematimba and Gavin Kizito, Shabana’s Wycliffe Omondi, goalkeeper Gad Mathews Otieno from Gor Mahia and Kevin ‘Chumsy’ Okumu from KCB FC.
Aussems says keeping the club’s key players was equally important.
“We don’t want to lose our key players,” he said.
After six weeks of pre-season training, Aussems wants his players to be ready both physically and tactically.
“Physical fitness is only one piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Nairobi United played several friendly matches, including a game against Uganda’s KCCA FC. The matches helped the coach build the team and assess his players.
Aussems says keeping possession will mean little if the team cannot create and score chances.
“Possession is not everything,” he said.
The Belgian wants his team to press opponents high up the pitch and play with intensity.
“We must maintain aggressiveness and rigid discipline,” he said.
He also wants the players to know when to speed up the game and when to slow it down.
“It takes collective intelligence to manage the tempo of a match,” he said.
The pre-season also helped the technical bench assess the new players and how they handled pressure.
“Pre-season was vital for evaluating player personalities under pressure,” Aussems said.
Aussems says he joined Nairobi United because he believes the club has ambitions that match his own.
The Belgian, who previously coached AFC Leopards, said he wanted more than just another coaching job when he returned to Kenyan football.
“I don’t join a club simply to be there,” he said. “I join projects where I believe something can be built and won together.”
