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Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy will take on The Gambia in his first match but the tiny West African country has some things that give them an edge over Kenya.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy is preparing for his first match in charge of the Kenyan national team with the upcoming World Cup qualifier against The Gambia.
Kenya will play away to The Gambia on March 20, with the match set to be staged in Ivory Coast, as the West Africans do not have an approved stadium back home.
McCarthy will take on The Gambia tactician Johnathan McKinstry for the first time and there are advantages the former Gor Mahia coach has over the ex-Manchester United first-team coach.
Johnathan McKinstry’s knowledge of Kenya
The key edge that The Gambia have over Kenya is the fact that in Johnathan McKinstry, they have a coach who understands Kenyan football well.
McKinstry had two successful years at Gor Mahia, when he led K’Ogalo to the Premier League titles back-to-back in 2022-23 and 2023-24, during a period in which he nurtured some of the players that have since risen to prominence.
The likes of Ronney Onyango, Austin Odhiambo, Sylvester Owino and Lawrence Juma, who are part of the Gor Mahia players in the Harambee Stars squad, were all regulars under him and he also understands most of the other players, since he came up against them during his time in the FKF Premier League.
That deep understanding of the Kenyan league and players gives McKinstry an idea on how to counter their threats, which will make the job more difficult for Harambee Stars during the match.
McKinstry eight months in, Benni two weeks in
The other advantage The Gambia have over Kenya is that they have had their coach for a much longer time compared to Harambee Stars, whose tactician was appointed on March 3, 2025.
McKinstry has already handled six matches, being World Cup, AFCON and CHAN qualifiers, two matches each in the competitions, and comes into the game against Kenya with a good knowledge about his players.
That will give him an idea of how to play to their strengths now that he understands their opponents well.
On the other hand, McCarthy has just started his first training this week and understandably admitted he still does not know his players, having been two weeks into the job.
Even the squad was selected for McCarthy which means he will have little knowledge about his players when he begins his first assignment.
No margin for error for McCarthy, unlike McKinstry
By now, McKinstry and his bosses have already kwon what their immediate and long-term targets are and with seven points behind leaders Ivory Coast, qualifying for the World Cup might not be as crucial as sealing a place at AFCON 2027.
That means The Gambia will play with less pressure, which allows them to express themselves more, and also gives the coach freedom to experiment, while for McCarthy, there is a need to impress at the first time of asking.
The Harambee Stars coach’s selection, tactics and application will be hugely scrutinised which might add an extra layer of pressure not just on him but his players, something their opponents can capitalise on.
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