Tusker FC assistant coach Anthony Kimani praised his side’s defensive solidity and tactical flexibility after their 2-0 victory over Bidco United in the FKF Cup Round of 32 at Police Sacco Stadium on Friday.
The win marked another clean sheet for the Brewers with the team having conceded only one goal in the last four matches, which Kimani attributed to the clear instructions provided by the head coach regarding defensive organization.
“The coach has been very, very clear of how we should line up or structure our defensive organization. He has broken down the details in a way that everybody understands what their role is in the grand scheme of things. We’re glad that the players are adapting very well.”
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Tusker FC assistant coach Anthony Kimani credits defensive solidity for resurgent form
A key highlight of Tusker’s recent defensive success has been the adaptation of Collins Odhiambo. Traditionally a right-back, the versatile defender has been deployed on the left flank to great effect filling the void left by Patrick Kaddu who departed in the mid season window and Dennis Wanjala who got injured
Kimani praised Odhiambo for playing at the top level.
“Collins is a versatile player; he’s very comfortable on both flanks. He’s very, very composed under pressure and that’s a big, big plus for any defender. He’s at the top of his game right now.
And so far, he’s been very instrumental in terms of our defensive organization and the covering that he’s been giving us from the flanks, and he’s also contributed a lot, you know, going forward in terms of our attack as well. So, I think he’s a player that is at the top of his game right now, he’s enjoying what he’s doing, and he’s doing it really, really well, and we can only pray that that goes on for long.”
The assistant coach also discussed the tactical use of Eric Kapaito, who has been dropping deep to link the midfield and attack. Kapaito has started the last three games in a twin attacking set-up with Ibrahim Joshua and Bless Bakai in the cup game.
“I’d say that Kapaito is one of the most experienced players that we have in our squad. He’s a very, very good attacker. He’s got very, very good understanding of where the spaces are and he knows how to exploit those particular spaces.
So, he’s been given that freedom by the coach to try and anticipate where the spaces are going to be, get into those spaces and, of course, help us to attack even better, join up.
And I’d say that so far he has done an exceptional job. He has done very, very well for us. He’s made it very difficult for the opponents to track his hands or his movements, and that has opened up a lot of opportunities for us.”
Under the guidance of Julien Mette and Anthony Kimani, the brewers appear to be peaking at the right moment. Tusker will now wait to find out their opponents in the round of 16 when the draw is conducted next week.
