Newly appointed Harambee stars head coach Benni McCarthy has shared the details of his philosophy and what to expect from the Kenyan national team during his tenure.The South African was speaking in an interview with Football Kenya Federation (FKF) media after his appointment where he also shared a message to the fans.The 47-year-old was unveiled as the Kenyan head coach on Monday 3 March in a colourful event at a Nairobi hotel, replacing Francis Kimanzi who was serving on an interim basis after the departure of Engin Firat in December 2024.First Benni McCarthy call up?McCarthy said he chooses to approach the game in a more practical way, and according to what he has at his disposal.“Many people would say that they want to play like Pep Guardiola or Manchester City which is a fantastic thing but it is not easy to do because the players they have, the money they have invested is much,” he stated.He went ahead to list the three ingredients of his football philosophy that players must adapt to.“As for me, I want to play a type of football that the players understand and that entails hard work and discipline. What you are going to experience, some have experienced while some have not. It is a combination of my experience throughout my career, playing under different types of coaches and now that I am a coach, I implement a little bit of everything. The players must be ready to learn,” he added.##NAJAVA_MECA_8755144##The former Manchester United assistant coach wants his team to play in such a way that the ordinary Kenyan fan identifies with and reflects the principles of the country.“The ultimate goal is to play a type of football that when you say ‘I am Kenyan,’ you can identify with the national team. This is a country whose morals are based on hard work and that is what the team is going to look like. It is a team that is going to be hardworking, knowing that it is what our fans expect us to do because that is what they do in their daily lives; to work hard,” he emphasized.Nevertheless, the former South African international who is also the team’s all time goal scorer is well aware that at the end of it all is whether you win a match or you lose.The former West Ham United forward said that the players who will get a chance in the national team must be those with a winning mentality.Esse Akida: I am not done yet“When you see the kind of football that we play, you must be proud to be a Kenyan but the most important of them all is to win. We are not going to win every game as we would have wished but the players and myself are going to give everything to try and win matches. The mindset must be programmed in such a way that you know that when you join the national team, you are supposed to win matches. That is how I can sum it up,” he remarked.The tactician who won the 2004 UEFA Champions League with FC Porto also had a message to the 12th player where he called for patience.“We need their support. We need them to get behind the team and be patient. We you get little time to prepare but I can assure them that they will see a big change in the Kenyan team,” he noted.The former Cape Town City coach explained the kind of team that the Kenyan faithful should expect under him.##NAJAVA_MECA_8755175##“They will see more passionate players, a hardworking team that is determined at all costs, and a Kenyan team that is accustomed to winning because, otherwise, I would stay at my house and allow someone else to do this work. I feel sorry for the players because they must become used to winning now,” he went on.McCarthy concluded by expressing his gratitude to FKF and promised to deliver on his mandate. “I also want to thank FKF for trusting in me and my team and I promise that we will work hard to bring back the pride in the national team.”McCarthy will get the first chance to put to practice his philosophy when Kenya plays The Gambia, away, in a World Cup Qualifier match on Thursday 20 March.
