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The ex-Harambee Stars tacticians want coach Engin Firat to stick to one reliable goalkeeper in light of his recent changes and the mistakes made by Patrick Matasi against Cameroon.
Former Harambee Stars coaches James Nandwa and Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee want Engin Firat to find one good goalkeeper and stick to him.
This follows a couple of mistakes from goalkeeper Patrick Matasi who was trusted between the posts in Harambee Stars’ 4-1 loss to Cameroon in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Yaounde on Friday.
Matasi was at fault for Cameroon’s second goal when he spilled Martin Hongla’s shot in the net, when he seemed to have caught the ball well, before fumbling and then failing to keep to keep out Christian Bassogog’s tame effort, which yielded the fourth goal for the Indomitable Lions.
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11:45 - 12.10.2024
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His performance has been criticised by Kenyan fans and the two tacticians feel he should be taken out of the firing line with Firat advised to find a reliable goalkeeper and stick with him.
“In the goalkeeping area, he [Firat] has to correct it, we are complaining all the time, saying the goalkeeper is not good enough. Why doesn’t he take the best goalkeeper?” posed Nandwa in an interview with Pulse Sports. “We have so many goalkeepers, do not complain and still field the same guy.”
“Changing goalkeepers has an effect on the team and it also depends on how you have trained them. Matasi could be good in shot stopping but maybe poor in his decision-making or playing out from the back,” added Nandwa, who coached Harambee Stars between 2012 and 2013.
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12:45 - 12.10.2024
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“The other one could be good in other things but maybe his concentration is not there. If you notice there is a problem, put them in a condition where the defence does not expose them. But as a goalkeeper, you also have to offer stability to the team.
“Like Andre Onana once said, he believes in himself. People despise him but he believes he is the best in the world. That is all you need.”
Meanwhile, Mulee, a former goalkeeper, was not impressed with Matasi’s performance and echoed Nandwa’s sentiments.
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17:10 - 12.10.2024
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“His performance was so annoying and as a former goalkeeper, it was not a god show,” Mulee, who had four stints as Kenya coach, said on Radio Jambo.
“However, all over the world, goalkeeper is not a position you play around with. Even Andre Onana, has been criticised a lot for his performances at Manchester United but he is always playing because it is a sensitive position.”
Firat has been changing his goalkeepers in recent matches with Bryne Omondi the man in goal when Kenya recorded a goalless draw with Zimbabwe as well as the 2-1 victory against Namibia in September before he was dropped to the bench for Matasi for the clash in Yaounde.
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14:00 - 11.10.2024
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Firat has explained why he called up Ronney Onyango to the national team amid his disciplinary woes at Gor Mahia, also clarifying why he benched Patrick Matasi against Zimbabwe and Namibia last September.
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