Kenyan Premier League newly promoted side Wazito FC began their 2019/20 league campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw to Nzoia Sugar on Saturday at Kenyatta Stadium.
The club’s technical director Stanley Okumbi lauded the result but expressed frustration with his players, who did not approach the game as per their plan before the match.
“The performance wasn’t too bad though our expectation was to win the game from the word go as we had planned. But individuals’ approach to a game sometimes makes a game tight.
“Of course, we knew that Nzoia Sugar will play a compact game, but I still insist on our player that we will still meet other sides playing compact. Exploiting spaces and taking risks is what our players need to improve on to break such teams as it is done outside Africa.
“Our plan was to play tight and compact at their half then wait for a transition. Of course, it worked in the first half a bit in the second half but they got a goal during the transition. But we still controlled the game and luckily got an equaliser,” Okumbi told journalists.
Asked about the effectiveness of his changes and future plan, Okumbi said, “It is our first game of the league and we will substitute players until our plans are realised. If a player steps in and does well, we’ll definitely start him in the next match to make them learn from one another.”
The Ricardo Badoer-led side will visit Western Stima at Moi Stadium on 14 September from 3.00 pm EAT for their second match of the season’s campaign.