4  Key Tactical Takeaways From Harambee Stars' Dream CHAN 2024 Run

Kenya’s Harambee Stars lit up the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), defying expectations with a fairytale run that ended in the quarterfinals following a 4-3 loss to Madagascar on penalties at Kasarani Stadium on Friday, 22nd August.

 At the heart of it all was head coach Benni McCarthy, whose tactical versatility allowed the team to compete with and frustrate some of the continent’s biggest footballing nations.

Here are four tactical lessons from their campaign:

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One of the ways Benni McCarthy has deployed his tactical versatility is through positional play, putting what he learnt while assistant coach to Erik ten Hag at Manchester United to the test.

Erik ten Hag is from the Pep Guardiola school of positional play football during their time working together for Bayern Munich, and when he coached Ajax for four seasons. 

The two evident cases of this was during clashes against Zambia and Madagascar where Harambee Stars enjoyed a lot of ball possession.

During the build up phase against Madagascar, rightback Lewis Bandi drifted into the midfield, with Abud Omar hugging the left hand side, which allowed Ben Stanley Omondi, playing as a left winger, to drift infield. 

Manzur Okwaro would then drop to the left hand side, or between the center backs to allow the side to take up a 3-2-5 shape.

Alpha Onyango, playing as a left sided midfielder in a midfield 3 axis, occupied the left hand ‘free eight role’ , with Marvin Nabwire occupying the other right sided eight role.

 This allowed Ryan Ogam to play as the focal point who would drag center backs to him with his back to goal and create space for his wingers and eights to try and attack the spaces.

This was evident again during the winning goal against Zambia as seen in the screenshots below:

Although Kenya could not find a way to make the chances they created count against Madagascar, we now have a glimpse of how Benni McCarthy will set up his team when they are expected to have most of the ball.

One of the biggest tactical ideas that has earned Benni McCarthy a lot of plaudits during the dream run is how he frustrated bigger sides during the group stages.

Against Angola and Morocco, the side was reduced to 10 men, yet managed to avoid defeat. Benni McCarthy opted for a low block 5-3-1 formation, which prevented sides from creating inroads infield, and forced them outside.

He would also deploy a 4-4-1 formation on some occasions without the ball, but the idea was simple. Prevent sides from playing through the middle.

Morocco as a result, who are very good in transitional situations, just could not find a way to create clear cut opportunities. As for Angola, who actually took the lead before the sending off of Marvine Nabwire, Benni used their own medicine against them.

Normally good at creating 2 v 1 situations through their wingers and wingbacks, Benni’s wingbacks were good at keeping their opposite numbers on their toes, while the wingers were marked out of the game by Kenya’s wide center backs.

Another impressive attribute of Benni McCarthy’s side was the reliance on creating chances from wide areas given the lack of creativity that came from the middle of the park with the exception of Austin Odhiambo.

Very often, the side leaned on Abud Omar to hug the line and provide width as a complete full back who hugged the line. On the other flank, McCarthy would instruct his fullbacks  -mostly Daniel Sakari and Lewis Bandi, to drift infield, which allowed the right winger to hug the line.

Boniface Muchiri impressed in this role, as did Edward Omondi in the minutes he was given, with the idea being to find a way to surpass teams’ off-the-ball shape.

Manzur Okwaro is among the few players that have taken alot of people by surprise in an unfamiliar role during the tournament.

Normally a left back or center back, Benni McCarthy chose to deploy him as a midfielder, and he grew into the role as the tournament progressed.

For someone not typically stationed in midfield, he showed great awareness and discipline. He often dropped into the backline during build-up play, creating passing lanes for Sylvester Owino and Alphonce Omija.

This movement effectively shifted Kenya to build up with a back three allowing the right back to tuck infield and then allow one number 10 to join the attack.

Out of possession, McCarthy’s side morphed into a 4-4-2.The aim was clear: force opposition and neutralize their central threats.

Even when McCarthy shifted to a 5-3-1 with 10 men, Manzur would be the deepest base of the three man axis, screening, winning balls to prevent opposition central players from creating chances, while protecting the backline.

After the first match against DR Congo, a 1-0 win for Stars, coach Benni McCarthy explained his thinking behind the tactical surprise:

“We needed that. We’ve got a lot of luxury players—excellent on the ball—but when it comes to defending, some forget that side of the game. I figured Manzur was very versatile.”

McCarthy was quick to dismiss the idea that Okwaro is just a defender:

“Everyone says he’s a centre back. I think he’s an incredible left back. But I also think he’s an outstanding number eight, number six, holding midfielder. So, I took a gamble—and lucky for me and the team, it paid off.”

He praised Okwaro's fearlessness and willingness to step up, despite the unfamiliar role:

“When you have a player who’s young, fearless, and just wants to play—wherever you put him, he’ll give his best. And that’s what he did. He made them change the way they wanted to play.”

“DR Congo wanted to play through their big No. 9 and link with their attacking midfielders. I needed someone quick, strong, and smart to cut that supply. Manzur did exactly that.”

“He’s only 20, but plays with such fearlessness—and that’s the kind of bravery we needed today.”

Kenya’s CHAN 2024 journey will be remembered not just for the results, but for the tactical sophistication and resilience on display.

 McCarthy blended positional play with pragmatism, wide attacks with defensive solidity, and bold player experiments with disciplined structures.

For a team once dismissed as outsiders, Harambee Stars have laid down a marker: under McCarthy, they can compete with Africa’s best.