AFC Leopards coaches should seek talent at the grass roots

To return Ingwe back to where we belong, our technical bench must sign two experienced strikers in the mould of Kepha Aswani.

Our ratio of kicks towards the goal has gone down compared to recent seasons. It’s no secret that we struggle to score goals and our intercepts have also dropped this year with many wasted chances.

Our import, Gilbert Fiamenyo from Ghana leads the way with five goals, but the former Hearts of Oak man needs more help.

I tried to find out why Aswani’s contract was not renewed and a club official told me he had disciplinary issues. I agree that team discipline is one of the most important elements in any sport but  I still believe whoever allowed Aswani to leave the den made a mistake. The player only needed guidance and counselling.

Coach Antonio Conte has managed to solve discipline problems at Chelsea and has succeeded in winning the English Premier League title. When he arrived at Stamford Bridge to take over a team that had many problems, Conte set up structures that changed players like Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Willian.

These players succeeded because of the discipline instilled in them by their coach at every level of play. Cristiano Ronaldo has also had disciplinary issues at Real Madrid but he is the team’s star-player after rules and boundaries were set by his technical bench.

It starts with something simple like talking to the players during team training sessions and discussing problems and situations regarding the day-to-day operations of the team.

Before Aswani crossed to Nakumatt, he had earned a reputation as one of the leading striker in the country earning and got call-up to the national team after many years. As much as the club officials and fans have an important role to play, I get this feeling that Ingwe just recruits top players but fails to build a winning team.

I can confidently say that Kenya has huge talent pool from which local clubs can recruit. Our technical bench must take time and go watch secondary school games and pick talent from there. Our scouts, led by the late Chris Makokha, used to recommend players who stood out in these games to the den, and they would give their best for the team.

The Kenyan Premier League match between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards on May 7 proved a walloping session for Ingwe. A game like that requires the service of a psychologist to mentally prepare the players before and after. I don’t remember Ingwe playing so badly in a derby. We played badly and lost heavily.

AFC Leopards players have often put up a brave fight during derbies I have attended, but this time the players did not event turn up for the match.
According to coach Stewart Hall, the team prepared well but did not apply the skills on the pitch.

The coach introduced a 3-5-2 system that failed him because he did not have quality squad to match the likes of Meddie Kagere, Kenneth Miguna, Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza.

Earlier, Western Stima had applied 4-4-2 to beat Gor Mahia 2-1, and Mathare United used 4-3-3 system also to down K'Ogalo 1-0. Hall has had a change of heart and says he is determined to do all it takes to get the team back on track.

By the time I was penning this article, our team manager, Tony Lidonde had assured me of victory over Homeboyz in Mumias.

We want the future derby duels to be unpredictable and mouth-watering. I believe that K’Ogalo have easily taken the league title 15 times because Ingwe is not competitive.

I cry for Leopards because, together with K’Ogalo the clubs used to provide the bulk of the national team. Let’s rebuild our club.