Bobby, Harambee Stars defence needs fixing

National football team, Harambee Stars, defence needs to be fixed.

In the wake of the team’s nervy defensive performance away to Congo on June 14, in their first match of the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier, Daily Nation ran an article on June 16, under the headline: ‘It’s the defence, Bobby, the defence…Fix the defence!

The article delved into Stars’ defensive frailties and why, if they were to mount a realistic bid of making it to Gabon for the 2017 Afcon finals, they needed to have a rock solid defence, a dynamic and enterprising midfield and a clinical strike force.

Fast forward to last Sunday, it was evident that the cry of many football fans, that the shakiness of the team was never addressed by the technical bench.

For the team, the more things change, the more it remains the same. Having drawn 1-1 with Congo away, the general expectation was for Stars to win all their home matches, win one away match and draw one to confirm their place in the finals of the biennial competition.

Zambia are continental giants, but the side that outclassed Stars 2-1 on Sunday, was not anywhere close to the coherent unit that that lifted the Afcon crown in 2012 when they beat Cote d’Ivoire in the final.

Inspirational goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, Rainford Kalaba, Nathan Sinkala and Chisamba Lungu were the only survivors of the mighty 2012 squad.

However, Stars’ poor performance is that of their own making. Poor preparations, poor game plan, poor fielding and to crown it all, a bunch of players who do not fight for the flag.

The defence, as was against Congo, was shaky. David ‘Calabar’ Owino, long termed as the rock, was in not in his best element. His marker, Chipolopolo skipper Kalaba, turned him inside out with relative ease in a number of occasions while at the heart of defence, Lawrence Olum and Brian Mandela struggled to hold.

Dennis Odhiambo at left back, apart from being a natural left footer offers nothing solid.

In central midfield, a partnership of Victor Wanyama and Collins Okoth had zero creativity.

Though both are defensive midfielders, Stars, in this game, needed one of them to be more adventurous; to surge forward when need be, and track back to help in defending, but again, blame it on the coach’s rigid 4-4-2 formation.

For Dennis Oliech – a long servant to the country – it’s clear he is heading south.

Stars’ coach Bobby Williamson, his deputy Musa Otieno and skipper Victor Wanyama said they were optimistic.

Otieno talked of going back to the drawing board, but it’s a question of how many times will they do that. To the fans, this board must certainly be full by now.

"Sometimes, it’s a matter of changing positions to win. We now need to go to the drawing board and correct our mistakes. They (Zambia) came, had a game plan, scored and won," Otieno moaned.