'Four wins out of five is a good return': Wambua sees room for growth

Kenya head coach Kevin Wambua sees room for improvement in his team’s next two stops of the HSBC SVNS 2 campaign.

In Nairobi, the 40-year-old saw his team finish third overall as the USA and Germany took the top two spots on the podium.

Across the weekend the home side were the only team to beat Germany, but saw themselves consigned to a bronze medal with a Day 2 loss to Zack Test’s Eagles.

“We also need to understand that we can dictate the tempo of the game when we have a solid system, and everyone executes their role well,” Wambua told Mozzart Sport. “Ultimately, it comes down to set-piece accuracy.

“We must be sharper in those areas so we can build phases and create scoring opportunities. The boys deserve a break, but we’ll be working hard, analysing video and identifying improvements ahead of the next tournament.”

As starts to their HSBC SVNS 2 campaign go Kenya can be quite pleased. The first of three stops, strong finishes in Montevideo and São Paulo can send the Shujaa to the HSBC SVNS World Championship events that conclude the season.

At events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux, Wambua’s team can stake a claim for a HSBC SVNS Series spot and return to the top tier at the very first time of asking.

With a month until their next tournament the team’s head coach knows exactly what they want to focus on ahead of their travels to South America.

“I’ll use this first tournament as a platform for growth,” he said. “Four wins out of five is a good return.

“Of course, we wanted to win every game, but we’ve identified areas of concern, particularly overcommitting at the breakdown and staying composed when we don’t have the ball. We tend to panic when we’re not in control of possession.”