Emerging Stars head coach Kennedy Odhiambo was heavily criticized for fielding Gor Mahia right back Paul Ochuoga in unfamiliar territory against Comoros on Sunday.Ochuoga was surprisingly fielded at left-back, at the expense of Geoffrey Onyango, the team’s preferred starter in the position, raising questions on what might have triggered the change.It didn’t take long before the technical bench and the team felt and realised the mistake as Ochuoga struggled and would see red and to add insult to injury, conceded a penalty.Stars lost the game 2-0, limiting their chances of advancing to the knockout stages of the COSAFA Cup.##NAJAVA_MECA_8186095##Mozzart Sport sought answers from coach Odhiambo who explained why he opted to field Ochuoga at right back.Odhiambo revealed that the game against Comoros needed a full-back who was good at passing and crossing and Ochuoga fitted the bill.“Geoffrey Onyango had a great game against Zambia. Being his first match and he played 90 minutes, we had to rest him for the third game against Zimbabwe. After watching Comoros clips we needed a player on the left who is confident, a good passer, and good at crossing,” wrote Odhiambo via WhatsApp.Why KCB defender Haniff Wesonga was withdrawn from the U23 teamThe former Bandari gaffer further attributed the decision to the unavailability of Haniff Wesonga who withdrew from the team at the eleventh hour to focus on club duties.KCB recalled Wesonga in respect to the Mozzart Bet Cup final against Kenya Police that was played last Saturday at Ulinzi Sports Complex.“We were to play with a 3-man defence but our plans were thwarted when Haniff Wesonga withdrew in the last minute before we traveled,” offered Odhiambo.Interestingly, Odhiambo filled the slot left by Wesonga with a forward, Moses Shumah of Kakamega Homeboyz.Odhiambo didn’t stop there as he hinted that Ochuoga was probably sharper than Onyango in training.“Ochuoga ahead of Geoffrey was as a result of what we saw in training. I had a lengthy chat with him before the game. He is a confident good passer. He did well up to the time he was red carded which was by bad luck,” he defended his decision.Mamelodi Sundowns confirm trio joining Mandela in exiting clubMeanwhile, Odhiambo challenged the youngsters to be versatile as modern football demands a player to be comfortable in playing more than a position.“Remember when we played Mali in Nairobi, Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma played as right back yet he is left-footed. Modern football requires players who can play in more than one position. The aim of this tournament is to try and get one or two into the senior team. We also had limited time to assemble a team. Rome wasn’t built in a day,” added the former Sofapaka boss.
