Harambee Stars assistant coach Vasili Manousakis has challenged Kenya to sharpen their attacking play after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Rwanda in an international friendly at Amahoro Stadium on Monday.
With an AFCON 2027 qualifying double-header against South Africa looming, Manousakis admitted Kenya still have plenty of work to do in the final third despite ending the September/October international window with a clean sheet.
The South African was particularly concerned by Kenya’s inability to consistently penetrate Rwanda’s organised mid-block, warning that they must create more opportunities when they face the tougher test of South Africa next month.
“We could have definitely created a lot more chances. Try and get many final-third entries, many more final-third entries. So we got a lot of work still to do on the top end of the pitch,” Manousakis said.
The draw extended Kenya’s winless run, but Manousakis insisted the result was not the primary measure of the exercise, with the technical bench using the match to test different combinations and expose players to unfamiliar roles. “We should try to play a little bit differently today. We set up a little bit differently, and we took the players a little bit outside of their comfort zone,” he said.
“We also tried to give the players, you know, everybody a run. So maybe different objectives for us, to have a look at a couple of youngsters.”
The assistant coach believes the experiment was valuable as head coach Benni McCarthy continues to shape a squad capable of competing against stronger opposition. Kenya will face South Africa in a crucial qualifying double-header in November, with the two matches expected to offer a clearer indication of how far McCarthy’s rebuilding project has progressed.
Manousakis acknowledged that Rwanda provided a demanding examination, particularly after the hosts had won their previous two AFCON qualifying matches. “Tough, tough, tough opponents! Having won their two games before in the AFCON qualifiers, we knew it was going to be tough,” he said.
Kenya looked more threatening before the break, with Manousakis feeling they created the better opportunities, but their attacking momentum faded after half-time. “First half, you know, we felt at half-time we had the better, maybe one or two chances or the better chances. Second half, to be honest, we didn’t create really too much,” he said.
That drop-off will concern the technical bench, particularly with competitive matches against South Africa carrying far greater consequences. Manousakis was, however, pleased with Kenya’s defensive discipline and the commitment shown throughout the contest.
“But again, defensively solid. Clean sheet,” he said. The lack of competitive football at club level remains another concern, with the Kenyan Premier League yet to begin. Manousakis said the situation had affected aspects of the team’s fitness and match sharpness.
“Fitness, a little bit here and there lacking. Obviously not easy that the Kenyan Premier League hasn’t started,” he said. Despite the shortcomings, Manousakis believes the friendly served its purpose and gave the coaching staff valuable information ahead of the next phase of preparations. “All in all, I think it was a good exercise and for us, as coaches, definitely we got out what we were hoping to get out,” he said.
Kenya would have preferred to sign off with a victory, but the technical bench is already looking beyond the result in Kigali, with the focus now on improving attacking penetration, building fitness and turning the lessons from Rwanda into a more potent display against South Africa.
“We would have liked to end off with a win. It wasn’t to be, but there are big objectives. We got a plan for AFCON, and it was just exactly one of those matches where we had to try a couple of different things,” Manousakis said.
