Nairobi United head coach Godfrey ‘Solo’ Oduor did not hide his frustration after watching his side slump to a 2-1 defeat against APS Bomet in a rescheduled SportPesa League encounter played on Wednesday afternoon.
The loss at Nyayo Stadium compounded Nairobi United’s recent struggles and marked their third consecutive defeat across all competitions, a run that has raised concerns within the technical bench, particularly regarding the team’s defensive organization.
Coming into the fixture, Nairobi United were desperate for a response after suffering back-to-back defeats against Tanzania’s Azam FC in the CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage.
The first leg ended 2-1 in favour of Azam at Nyayo Stadium before the Nairobi side fell again in the return leg in Zanzibar, losing 1-0. Those results left the team low on confidence, and the APS Bomet clash presented an opportunity to steady the ship.
However, familiar defensive lapses once again proved costly with goals from Antony Naibei and Dickson Mwangi giving Bomet maximum points against his side.
Speaking after the match, Oduor openly challenged his backline to take responsibility, admitting that the team’s inability to shut out opponents is becoming a worrying trend.
“I think we need to do a lot in terms of how we defend because we have now conceded in three consecutive games. In this match, we conceded twice against APS Bomet, and that is something we have to work on seriously as a team,” said Oduor.
The two goals conceded against Bomet mean Nairobi United have now let in 19 goals in 17 SportPesa League matches this season, despite having two games in hand.
Wednesday’s setback also marked their sixth league defeat of the campaign, a statistic that underlines the defensive inconsistencies that have hampered their progress.
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Despite the disappointment, Oduor was quick to highlight a positive from the performance, pointing to an attack that has shown signs of improvement in recent outings.
“I am happy that we scored today(a goal from Muhadjiri Hakizimana). In the last three games, we have scored twice – one goal against Azam here at home and another one today against APS Bomet.
That is good progress from our attack, and it shows we are improving in that area,” he noted.
The coach believes that if the defensive unit can match the attacking strides being made, Nairobi United will be better placed to compete both domestically and on the continental stage.
Attention now shifts to the CAF Confederation Cup where Nairobi United face another stern test this weekend.
They are set to host Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club on Sunday at Nyayo Stadium.
With the club already knocked out of the CAF Confederations Cup, Oduor will be hoping that his charges show a defensive discipline against a well-oiled Wydad Athletic Club.