Bandari head coach John Baraza reveals how injuries have scuppered his plans

FOOTBALL Bandari head coach John Baraza reveals how injuries have scuppered his plans

Mark Kinyanjui 15:30 - 12.12.2023

Bandari have done fairly well since Baraza took over, but the tactician has revealed why injuries have prevented the club from fully unleashing its’ potential.

Bandari FC head coach John Baraza has admitted that injuries to key players have affected his plans, which as a result, has had a knock-on effect on the side’s fairly inconsistent results.

The Dockers sit fifth on the table, five points behind league leaders Gor Mahia despite losing 1-0 to Nairobi City Stars last Saturday, which puts them in a decent position to still contend for the title.

Speaking after their last loss, Baraza admitted that it is difficult to foster competition amongst players in training without options who have been injured, with off-season signing Beja Nyamawi and left back Mohammed Siraj all suffering unfortunate knee injuries.

“When your team suffers injuries, it is usually a big blow,” Baraza told Pulse Sports.

“No one wants his players to suffer injuries. Three of my key players are injured which has affected us in terms of numbers.

“When you have a large pool of players available, it is easier to pick players depending on how they fight (in training). When the numbers are depleted, you get limited.

“But we just have to work with what we have and see how we will go about it.”

Under Baraza, Bandari have won five games, with the other two games being losses and the other one being a draw. 

He took charge of the club after Twahir Muhiddin stepped down as head coach, citing he was not able to handle hands-on roles anymore.

Bandari will face Murang’a Seal in their next league encounter on Saturday. They sit in fifth place in the table.

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