Tusker head coach Charles Okere has called on his charges to sharpen their mental resilience and bolster defensive steel as they grapple with a worrying run of goals conceded.
The Ruaraka-based outfit has struggled to hold firm at the back, managing just one clean sheet in their first seven league encounters.
In their latest outing, Tusker succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to KCB at St. Sebastian Park in Murang’a.
Francis Kahiro’s quickfire double in the 12th and 13th minutes and a 62nd-minute goal from James Kinyanjui sealed the win for the bankers.
Ryan Ogam netted a brace for Tusker in minute 38 and in second-half stoppage time.
The brewers are sixth with nine points from two wins, three draws and two defeats.
Okere is concerned and wants his players to dig deep mentally to stem the tide.
“We’re lacking resilience, and it shows every time we face pressure. If we can’t withstand that pressure, we end up conceding,” Okere said.
“It’s about resilience and decision-making. To stop this trend, we have to be tougher, stronger and resilient.”
Okere said two early goals threw Tusker’s strategy off course against KCB.
“It caught us off guard, especially since we’d prepared for their wide play in training. But we failed to shut down the crosses and they capitalised,” he said.
“We’re going to iron out these issues,” he said, even as he praised his team’s spirited response after the slow start.
“The boys showed tremendous character. We started on the back foot but they rallied and finished strong. I’m proud of their effort even if the result didn’t go our way.”
He had kind words for Ogam.
“We had minimal changes in the match and it was nice to see Ryan come in and get us two goals. It is highly motivating. Out of the negatives, we have positives to pick (from the match),” he said.
Okere remains optimistic about staging a turnaround with the league, which is still in its early days.
“The title race is wide open. No one’s champion yet. We’ll fight to the last minute,” he said.
Tusker turn their attention to Saturday’s clash against Bandari at Police Sacco Stadium.
The two teams have nine points
with Bandari fifth on the log due to a
healthier goal difference.
