A section of fans, pundits and neutrals alike have asked for Omala to contribute more to the team rather than just putting the ball in the back of the net, but the Northern Irish tactician believes Omala needs to stick to doing what he is just good at.
Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry believes Benson Omala must keep doing “what he is good at” after his stellar performance leading the line during the side’s 4-1 rout of Nairobi City Stars at the Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
The K’ogalo forward scored once but did have a hand in Sydney Ochieng’s goal for the opener where he momentarily thought he had scored a brace, but he generally looked impressive sniffing at opportunities and finding himself in the right place at the right time.
A section of fans, pundits and neutrals alike have asked for him to contribute more to the team rather than just putting the ball in the back of the net, but the Northern Irish tactician believes Omala needs to stick to doing what he is just good at.
15:30 - 16.07.2023
FKFPL: How McKinstry turned Gor Mahia hotshot Benson Omala into a goal scoring machine
Under McKinstry, the Gor Mahia forward has gone from an ordinary goal-getter to a record chasing machine. Here is why.
“He is a young man. We said last season that he was not the finished article,” Mckinstry said.
“I even had a chat with him (in the morning before the City Stars match) that he needs to keep doing what he is doing. There is a lot of people around who want good players to be doing everything in the game.”
McKinstry says his coaching staff are working hard to improve certain aspects of his game, but acknowledges that he cannot ignore the things that have made him ‘a fox in the box’.
“They want every player to be Lionel Messi, but Benson is very good. We are just adding certain things to his game, but we cannot forget the things that make him good in terms of being a predator in the box.
15:00 - 17.08.2023
FKFPL: Benson Omala reveals what he will do to win 2023/2024 FKFPL Golden Boot
Omala scored 26 league goals last season, but was beaten to the award by Kenya Police's Elvis Rupia.
“The goal he got against City Stars was evident of that, getting across his man, getting to the front post and getting a header from a difficult opportunity.
"He has done well but maybe that pressure has been taken off him a little bit as well because the guys around him are more than capable of contributing to make sure that that weight of expectation is not squarely on his shoulders.”
Last season, Omala netted 26 league goals, enough to help Gor Mahia win the title and a runners up place in the ‘golden boot’ race.
He has now scored two league goals this season, and has admitted that he would like to maintain consistent performances over a season to claim the award next time after Elvis Rupia beat him to the award at the eleventh hour in June.
19:00 - 29.08.2023
‘Where is Omala?’ - Fans cry after ommision of Gor, AFC players from Harambee Stars
K’Ogalo and Ingwe do not have a representative in Harambee Stars’ provisional squad for friendlies against Qatar and South Sudan and their supporters aren’t impressed