Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat took his time on Sunday afternoon to speak to the media with the obvious questions surrounding the upcoming friendly against Iran on March 28.The head coach gave his reasons for picking a fixture against the said team, with much of his idea being ‘going against the pre-set subconscious grain’.”I was having a look at the last time Kenya played a European team before and I could not find any,” Firat told the gathered members of the media at the FKF press conference. “No, we have to be honest. Why haven’t we done that in the past?”🎙️⚽️🇰🇪Engin Firat and Cheche are here… #HarambeeStars #KenyanFootball pic.twitter.com/5BUQGhJx32— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) March 19, 2023 This was one of the many issues Firat had with the whole organisation of the country in regards to approaching international fixtures, as he put it that the previous incarnations have been about purely results.”Look, Iran are a really good footballing country with quality attack led by players like Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahankbaksh and Mehdi Taremi who we have seen in Europe,” Firat stated. “That’s the level of an opponent I want myself and my players to face.”I understand how we have looked at things in the past, always looking at results and going with the easy and winnable fixtures, that’s not what I am about.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7108508##Four key aspects came from Firat as he stated what he wanted the friendly to mean to the players.”Unity, mentality, physicality and tactical readiness,” Firat said. “I need to risk. That’s what you get from a team that is top in Asia , played in the World Cup and is 24th in the world.”I want to put early pressure on the players so that they can learn. Its not about results. That take it as a fact.”Work Starts💪#WeAreBack pic.twitter.com/gDq8f2Iz9I— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) March 17, 2023 That said, Firat was aware of the fact that the task at hand wasn’t easy but what he thinks right now is that Kenya needs to take ‘small steps’ that will lead to more glory – starting with developing young talent, to targeting the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament.The Kenyan team departs this week to Tehran and hopefully kick-start a new awakening for a national team side that hasn’t kicked a ball since November 2021.
