Benni McCarthy reveals headache for Kenya despite Grenada win

Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy has admitted to being concerned with the number of missed opportunities saying it is something that should be addressed urgently ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Speaking after Kenya defeated Grenada 3-0 in their final FIFA Series match in Rwanda, the South African legend said Harambee Stars deserve to score more goals in a single match because of the chances they create.

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Kenya participated in the FIFA Series, losing their opener 4-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time. In this game, Kenya dominated the second half but they were not able to finish off the chances they created.

Against Grenada, Kenya looked the dominant side throughout the contest, but they could only manage to score three goals.

‘I have cloud hanging over my head’

“It was a good game, we were able to convert the couple of chances we created, and deservedly won the game, but still I have a cloud hanging over my head,” said McCarthy as quoted Flashscore.

“If I assess our game against Senegal, they made nine chances, and scored eight, today, we created 11 chances, clear cut chances, and we only managed three goals. For me that is a little bit of a worry.

“We are not able to finish the games off, even when we create chances like we did, and we don’t score them. Yeah, we should be happy with 3-0 but I think sometimes when you look at the other side of things, how do you create as many clear cut chances and you don’t turn them into goals?”

McCarthy continued: “You know the next team, you may not be as lucky as you were today. Like against Estonia, we also created enough chances, and we should have won the game, and we should have played in the final.

“I am happy for the boys, happy they were able to pick themselves up after losing on penalties (against Estonia), but we take that 3-0 win, and keep learning, and hopefully, we can improve and take positives from this match and we move forward.”

‘We need enough time to work on tactic’

On what to do to improve the missed chances, McCarthy requested Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to ensure he gets enough time with the team.

“I really don’t have enough time to spend with the team. We need enough time to work on tactics, to avoid wasting chances, the way we did,” he said.

“We can work on our finishing with enough time. I think if I can get enough time with the team, it will work. I think CHAN 2024, we were able to be together for a month, that’s why we were able to do well in the competition.

“Hopefully in the off-season, I will get to be with the players. It will help if we get more time because I will get to be with the players and understand their weaknesses.”

Kenya used the FIFA Series as part of their preparations for the 2027 AFCON to be co-hosted in East Africa.