It is hard to find any flaws in a team that has played 11 matches in the month of July and won nine of them. Yes, Gor have done that. They lost to Azam in the Cecafa Semifinals, a match that went to extra time.
But we know this team has the potential to improve even more and reclaim their position on the summit of African club football. But going forward, goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch should not be part of the team.
The team played very well on Sunday, dominating their opponents from start to finish and anyone watching tje match would have said the Kenyan side was the home team. But Oluoch committed two schoolboy errors to gift Yanga two goals they did not deserve making the match that was one sided look like it was a closely fought affair.
Coach Dylan Kerr has asked fans to stop criticizing the experienced custodian, but fans are justified to be angry.
“No one should ever be critical of my keeper especially if you see how many goals he saves to those he makes a mistake. When he made an amazing save v AFC Leopards at 1-1 where were the plaudits? None…but when he makes an error of judgment fans want to lynch him,” Kerr told a local media house. “Had we lost, then yes, that would have been a disaster but we didn’t and we will fix it. He made a mistake…but what about the twelve missed chances we had, seven in the first half and four in the second half?”
We understand that Kerr, just like any other good coach, must come out to defend his players against criticism. And Oluoch was lucky that his teammates spared him the blushes to ensure the match ended in a win, but how many times will lady luck strike?
After yesterday’s round of matches, Group D looks very tight with Gor Mahia tied on eight points with Algerian side USM Algers. The Kenyan side have a superior goal difference and therefore top the group. Gor have scored eight goals, two more than the Algerian side. Both sides have conceded three goals.
All of the three goals Gor have conceded have come from poor goalkeeping. Oluoch made the same mistake against Rayon Sports in their first match, failing to organize his wall during a free kick and conceding a soft goal. He made the same mistakes yesterday.
We have also not forgotten how he messed the team in the 2015 CECAFA finals against Yanga, conceding a soft goal from a free kick when the team was chasing an equalizer.
The goalkeeping department is a very crucial part of any winning team. This is why Liverpool forked out more than 67 million pounds to sign Alison Becker after Loris Karius made very costly mistakes in the Champions League Final against Real Madrid in May.
But Gor Mahia, don’t need to spend all that money as they already have Shaban Odhoji in their ranks. Odhoji was instrumental for the team as they won the Sportpesa Super Cup in June. His heroics were recognized by the tournament hosts who rewarded him with the golden glove award.
He also manned the posts when Gor thrashed Yanga 4-0 in Nairobi two weeks ago. The most important thing is that Odhoji was able to keep a clean sheet, something that Oluoch has failed to do. He was also out of his line when Whyvone Isuza scored a spectacular Bicycle kick in the Mashemeji derby.
Gor will seal their qualification to the next round with a draw against Algers. But they can not afford such errors going into the quarter finals.