AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has declared the 12-time Kenyan champions are going all out for the 25/26 SportPesa League title following their 2-0 win over Murang’a SEAL that moved them to within two points of league leaders Gor Mahia who have a game in hand.
Speaking after the final whistle, Ambani provided a detailed breakdown of the team’s approach in games and the key performers driving their charge towards a first league title since 1998.
“It depends on who you’re playing. If you’re playing a team that is good, you have to at least be cautious first. Then after watching them and seeing how good they are, then you go back and at least know how you can handle them. Then in the second half, you come for the goals,” Ambani explained.
All four of the club goals in the last three matches have come in the second half. While the coach admitted that missed opportunities in the first half remain a concern, he reassured fans that the technical bench is working tirelessly to sharpen the strikers’ finishing.
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“It’s been a worry for me. That’s our work, we keep working on them until we will get them right because it’s a worrying decision for the team, but I’m very sure we will come up with it,” he said.
A major cornerstone of Leopards’ recent form has been their defensive record. Ambani took time to praise his goalkeeper James Ssetuba for securing a fourth consecutive clean sheet, especially after a difficult period earlier in the season when he conceded four goals in fifteen minutes against Mathare.
“It makes me feel good because if you look in his first match after a long period out, there’s a time he conceded like four goals, then people turned against him,” the coach reflected.
“But it wasn’t healthy for the team, but I had to talk to him then make him understand these things happen. I’m so happy at least he’s a mature player, came out strongly and he’s doing a great job for the team,” he said.
Regarding club favourite James Kinyanjui, Ambani noted that his past chemistry with Tyson Otieno has been crucial in their attack this season
“It’s a plus to the team first. It’s a plus to me because those are players that I worked with before, any coach that has a player that’s performing, you can’t be an enemy to that player. You have to be just close to him,” he noted.
Ambani, Otieno and Kinyanjui worked together at the now defunct Wazito.
With less than seven matches remaining, Ambani emphasized that mental preparation is now the top priority.
“It’s all about preparing players mentally and make them understand what it takes. Make them understand that we have to win each and every match we are playing and let things shape up,” he said.
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AFC Leopards gunning for first title in nearly 30 years
When asked if the focus has shifted entirely to the league following their exit from the FKF Cup, Ambani’s message was definitive.
“There’s no team that is not going for the title. As a coach, you have to go for the title. We don’t want anything but the title,” he said.
With only seven matches remaining in the campaign, the stakes could not be higher as AFC Leopards find themselves firmly entangled in a title race with their perennial rivals Gor Mahia with only a two-point gap at the top separating the two teams.