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Some of the ways Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat can solve his striking dilema against Zimbabwe with Michael Olunga now confirmed unavailable due to fitness problems.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat is scratching his head trying to find solutions to the striking dilemma with his captain Michael Olunga ruled out for their opening AFCON 2025 qualifying match against Zimbabwe on Friday.
Before the side jetted out to Uganda on Monday morning, the Turk confirmed to the media that Olunga, who suffered an unfortunate injury last August while playing for Al Duhail, had a “little chance” of being available for the side’s September fixtures.
"It is unlikely that Michael Olunga will participate in the first game. He is scheduled to have an MRI. Still, as I mentioned, the odds are slim. Numerous players have already left us. We must come up with solutions," Firat stated.
By Wednesday, Olunga was yet to hit camp, but a source close to the side affirmed to Pulse Sports that the 30-year-old forward had a “50/50 chance” of being available for the Namibia clash.
However, Firat still managed to call up three other forward options to Uganda, and could rely on all of them. He called up Benson Omala, Jonah Ayunga, Patrick Otieno and John Avire, the latter two who are also capable of playing out wide on the left.
Ahead of the clash against Zimbabwe which will take place at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Friday afternoon from 4 PM, we take a look at all four options and how Stars can counter that problem.
1. Use the Benson Omala & Austine Odhiambo Gor Mahia telepathy
One way Firat can counter the Olunga unavailability is by resorting to using the telepathy that Benson Omala and Austine Odhiambo possess from their time playing together for Gor Mahia.
Over the last two years, the two developed a brilliant understanding on the pitch that contributed enormously to the two back-to-back titles that they won under Johnathan McKinstry.
McKinstry, who left the club in July to take charge of the Gambia National Team, developed Omala into a potent goalscoring machine that was brilliant playing on the shoulder of the last defender while getting on the end of the brilliant line-breaking passes supplied to him by Odhiambo, who was named the FKFPL Most Valuable Player for his contributions last season.
Firat has a preference to have a forward who is involved in the build up, and even though Omala may not be the most refined striker in this aspect, he showed flashes of that willingness to drop deep to receive the ball and link the play during the Emerging Stars’ COSAFA Cup campaign in South Africa last June.
This has earned praise from the gaffer, who pointed out how he has improved over the last few months.
“For Gor Mahia, Benson only had very few touches of the ball, but now at the COSAFA Cup, you saw situations where he had 30 to 35 touches with an 80 percent pass accuracy,” Firat explained to Passion Sports.
“He understood that was the only way to move abroad; otherwise, you have no chance.”
Omala showed this against Zambia during their opening clash, a game where he actually registered an assist as they won 2-0.
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If Omala can build on from his performance at the COSAFA Cup, then Kenya will have found a temporary fix to Olunga’s unavailability.
This could also imply bringing Patrick Otieno to the team. Otieno was one of the standout stars against Zambia, with his ability to stretch the defence with his pace, as well as his underrated good ball retention skills.
As shown in the screenshot above, he drifted off the left before scoring the first goal.
It allowed him to split wide to the left during the build up, and drop again into the front two without the ball. He is also the one that won the penalty for the first goal which was converted by Odhiambo.
2. Resort to the classic two-forward system
Firat could also opt to take a twin striker approach to try and consolidate Olunga’s unavailability. During their 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast, Firat opted to play Timothy Ouma as a second striker and partnered him to Olunga.
Although Ouma was retaining possession well and holding up the ball ideally, his decision making let him down at times.
In situations where he would have released the ball quicker, he held on to the ball too long and ran himself into traffic, leaving Olunga isolated on his own. However, both will miss the clash, which is a huge blow for the side.
Firat may opt to use Otieno next to Omala, or even play John Avire next to him in efforts to try and isolate the Zimbabwe backline and fashion opportunities to score goals. Avire is another capable of playing off the left and in the middle, underpinning his versatility, and is very good at anchoring the play by coming short and then spinning his man.
Another option is Jonah Ayunga.
The 27-year-old has played in that system for St Mirren under the stewardship of Steven Robinson.
However, Ayunga is a classic number nine and not one to be really involved in the build up, and his numbers are not encouraging, which could relegate him to just an impact role at best, with his solitary cap for the country coming as a stoppage time sub during the 4 -1 win over Malawi last March.
He averaged just 16.5 touches per match during the 2022/2023 Conference League season, with eight goals in 17 appearances last season having come from injury.
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However, he is excellent at making runs off the last defender, is instinctive and is a good aerial presence due to his height, which makes him valuable especially should the side decide to go direct.
Last March, Firat had praised Ayunga’s physicality, revealing that the defenders had been finding it difficult to handle him in training. That is to be expected when you have received your footballing education in England, having come through the Brighton & Hove Albion academy.
“I think he is a classic center forward, he is physically very strong. I see in training how when it comes to shoulder-to-shoulder, our defenders have problems against him, always looking to finish and I think he will fit well in our team also from the point of character,” Firat said when asked about his qualities last March.
Conclusion
Firat faces a tough challenge in Olunga’s absence, but the Harambee Stars have a few tactical solutions that could work.
Whether leveraging the chemistry between Omala and Odhiambo or employing a two-forward system, Firat will have to find the right combination to challenge Zimbabwe and maintain Kenya's hopes of securing an AFCON 2025 ticket.
With the depth in forward options and Firat’s tactical flexibility, the team has the potential to adjust and compete effectively, even without their talismanic captain.
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