Ivory Coast 3-0 Kenya: 5 Things Learnt From Harambee Stars' Humbling in Abidjan

Harambee Stars were given a thrashing by Ivory Coast following their 3-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier in Abidjan on Tuesday.

Kenya were totally outplayed by their hosts with wingers Nicolas Pepe and Amad Diallo toying with them the whole game while they had nothing to offer going forward.

Diallo was the architect of Kenya’s downfall, creating the first goal for Franck Kessi, before a moment of quality from 18-year-old Yan Diomande, and the Manchester United winger then completed the hammering with a third through a well-taken freekick.

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Following the result, what lessons can Kenya take from the game?

There was no guessing how vital having players exposed at the highest level can be in such matches as the Ivorians, who had a star-studded squad, stumped their authority.

The way Ivory Coast played around with Kenya, who had five locally-based players in the starting lineup, said of the gulf in quality and while it was a tough night, it was a good learning curve.

Kenyan players will need a lot of exposure as well as moves to clubs abroad which offer them opportunities to play against the best as this will be vital when coming up against top teams on the continent.

McCarthy was forced to field central defenders at left-back with Sylvester Owino drifting out during the contest and this badly exposed him against Diallo.

However, it was no fault of his own as it is not his natural position. Kenya’s first-choice left-back Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma has been out for months with an injury and Aboud Omar and Vincent Harper have played there recently.

However, the fact that neither of them was started shows that the coach had some reservations and it is an area of concern going forward.

Meanwhile, at right-back, Ronney Onyango is the go-to man but he was suspended on Tuesday with Daniel Sakari handed the responsibility.

Sakari did not cover himself in glory as he still lacks experience at this level, same as Lewis Bandi, who was not in the squad, exposing Kenya’s lack of quality options in the position.

Coach McCarthy has seen some of his gambles fail to pay off recently but he still took a risk on Tuesday when he had centre backs at full-back, pushed Alpha Onyango higher up while he had Ryan Ogam out wide.

It kind of stifled the team as they lacked creativity and also looked disjointed while allowing the Ivorians an easy time, forcing him to make adjustments after the break.

McCarthy tried taking risks again against Madagascar in the quarter-final of CHAN and against The Gambia last month but it did not yield the results.

Those tactical changes have left him with a lot to ponder and he will have a good idea of his players' strengths going forward after some of them struggled in unfamiliar roles.

Striker Ryan Ogam has been lethal in recent matches but he looks to be more comfortable playing in a central attacking role and not out wide.

He was started alongside Michael Olunga in attack but he had to operate from a wide position and his output was poor.

Ogam is at his best in and around the box where his clever runs and ability to operate in tight spaces make him dangerous. It is a dilemma for McCarthy as Ogam’s form has been great lately but Olunga seems more preferred to start due to his experience.

While Ivory Coast have the likes of Diallo, Diomande, and Simon Adingra forming the next generation of Ivorian stars, Kenya can also be proud that a number of young players have been showing great quality.

Manzur Okwaro, Sylvester Owino, Job Ochieng, William Lenkupae, Ryan Ogam and Mohammed Bajaber, when he returns from injury, are some exciting young players that Kenya can build around going forward.

With the qualifiers now over, McCarthy has time to set the base for a successful 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and these youngsters will be at the centre of it.