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Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has received criticism for not translating his great club form to the national team but what are the factors that contribute to this?
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga divides opinion with his performances for the national team with his wastefulness in front of goal, leading to plenty of criticism from fans.
Olunga has, however, always retained the backing of his national team coaches with former tactician Engin Firat defending him vehemently during his three-year reign, and new coach Benni McCarthy has been doing the same, including during a TV interview on Monday.
The striker is just four goals away from being Kenya’s all-time top scorer but he should have been out of sight by now had he been converting a number of missed chances for Harambee Stars in past matches.
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08:13 - 10.04.2025
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What frustrates Kenyans most is that at club level, OIunga, who has 32 goals in 65 matches for Kenya, scores freely and is already Al Duhail’s leading scorer.
Olunga won the Golden Boot in Qatar back-to-back in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and has scored over 20 goals in each of the five years he had been at the Doha-based club with 20 in his first campaign before 30, 36 and 22 followed and he already has 12 this term, including 11 in 17 league matches.
So, why does Olunga score so freely for Al Duhail but not as frequent for Kenya?
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09:13 - 10.04.2025
Why Enzo Maresca Should be Worried as Defender Marc Cucurella is Revealed as Chelsea's Top Goalscorer of 2025
Chelsea's goalscoring woes have been compounded by the fact Marc Cucurella is the club's top league goalscorer of 2025 despite being a defender.
Lots of pressure on Michael Olunga in Kenya
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While he is the main striker at Al Duhail, the club somehow still finds a way to win, even when the Kenyan does not score, but that is not the same when Michael Olunga plays for Harambee Stars.
When he dons the national team jersey, Olunga is always expected to score, never mind the conditions or team set up, and when he does not, he becomes a subject of criticism.
Olunga carries the entire country on his shoulders and therefore can be weighed down by the pressure which makes him want to score at every opportunity and leads to lots of missed chances.
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23:03 - 09.04.2025
Harambee Stars Defender Makes CAF Confederation Cup History After His South African Club Stuns Zamalek
Harambee Stars defender Brian Mandela will be part of a Stellenbosch team that will play in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final for the first time in the club’s history.
At club level, the 30-year-old plays with less pressure as he knows he shoulders the goalscoring burden with others but in Kenya, he is the one in the spotlight all the time.
It does not help that Michael Olunga is the Harambee Stars captain and therefore expected to lead from the front and when it does not happen, he becomes a figure of hate.
Michael Olunga plays for a better team at club level
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There cannot be denying that Michael Olunga plays for a team with players of higher calibre compared to some of his team-mates in the national team.
Al Duhail are among the top teams in Qatar and therefore attract top talents, who command huge transfer fees and salaries, and the good quality leads to great service for the striker.
Most recently, Olunga played with ex-Liverpool and Barcelona star Phillipe Coutinho and now shares the pitch with Luis Alberto, another ex-Red, and Hakim Ziyech, a former Ajax and Chelsea star, and these are players who elevate his game by not just the chances they create for him but the high standards they set.
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06:55 - 10.04.2025
Top 10 Greatest Goals in Football History
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That cannot be compared to the FKF Premier League players he plays with in the national team or even some of his foreign-based colleagues apart from a few who play in top leagues in Europe.
Al Duhail plays to Michael Olunga’s strengths
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Until the arrival of coach Benni McCarthy, Michael Olunga was a striker feeding on scraps in Harambee Stars under former tactician Engin Firat due to the tactical set up of the Turkish mentor.
Firat preferred a more defensive approach that often left Michael Olunga isolated upfront and he had to rely on counter attacking or set piece situations to score.
However, at Al Duhail, coach Christophe Galtier and his predecessors found a way to bring out the best from the lanky striker and he is always more involved in the build-ups while due to the way the team plays, it allows him to be in dangerous areas where he can do more damage.
Following coach Benni McCarthy’s backing and what was witnessed against Gambia and Gabon in March, there is reason to believe that finally, the 30-year-old has found a coach who will play to his strengths in the national team.
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