Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about the difficult decisions he must make ahead of Kenya’s opening match at the 2024 African Nations Championships.
McCarthy is pleased with how preparations have gone so far, but now faces a major challenge in picking his starting XI, with every player showing strong form and readiness.
“Come Sunday, the team will be ready but the headache now lies with me and other coaches on selecting the first 11. I would rather have those kinds of headaches than anything else,” McCarthy said on Wednesday.
He praised the effort and attitude shown by his squad, highlighting the tough nature of leaving deserving players on the bench due to competition rules.
“But the team is ready, fit and healthy. The headache is really big but I think everyone has worked really hard and well. It is a little bit unfair that you can only pick 11 players to start the match but those are football rules. You have to field 11 players so I guess you are not going to be able to make everybody happy because so far, everybody has given me total respect, hard work and everything you can ask from a player as a coach,” he added.
“So, for me to select 11 players out of the whole group is a really tough job but that is why they pay us the money they do to make those kinds of decisions and disappoint some players that may feel they do not deserve to be on the bench, they should start the match also.”
The South African tactician hopes his side can kick off the tournament with a win and has encouraged his players to entertain home fans with a spirited display.
“Come Sunday my technical team and myself will make the right decision because this nation deserves the best team that can go out there and fight for it and deliver the best football that they can and hopefully to be superior and better than our opponents,” he further said.
McCarthy stressed the importance of getting off to a strong start, though he also acknowledged that early setbacks can be overcome.
“The importance of how good you start always sets you up nicely so the first game is extremely important but it is not the end of the world. Argentina for example in the Qatar 2022 World Cup lost their first match to Saudi Arabia, which was crucial, but they ended up winning the World Cup. So it is not the end of the world if your first game is a disaster but, in our case, hopefully not,” he stated.
With Kenya placed in what many have dubbed the ‘Group of Death,’ McCarthy is counting on home support and the belief within the squad to carry them through, beginning with a strong performance in the opener.
“I am confident that the boys will be ready to give the best performance that Kenyans deserve so we will give everything to have our best match on Sunday because that sets you up nicely ahead of Angola, Morocco and Zambia to come because we are in the Group of Death,” he added.