Tusker's Mette rallies charges ahead of season-ender after Ulinzi blow

The defeat came barely four days after the Brewers suffered another away loss, going down 1-0 to Bandari on Saturday, courtesy of a well-taken free-kick by former Tusker attacker Eric Naaman Balecho.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after the loss to Ulinzi Stars, Mette criticized his side’s poor display and challenged his players to end the season strongly. He wants the remaining match to serve as preparation for the upcoming FKF Cup final.

“We did not play well today, and I think that is why we lost because our performance was poor. I raised similar concerns when we faced Kariobangi Sharks in the Cup. Even though we won that match, I still confronted my players and urged them to improve,” noted Mette. 

“The league has entered the homestretch, and I want us to finish strongly. If we win our final match against APS Bomet and the teams above us drop points, we could finish seventh, which would be a morale booster ahead of the Cup final slated for next weekend,” stated Mette.

Nonetheless, the tactician somehow defended his players, citing a lack of adequate rest after returning from the away fixture against Bandari in Mombasa.

“This match was supposed to be played a week ago, but due to transport disruptions caused by the fuel hike demonstrations, it was postponed to today. That worked to our disadvantage because we arrived back in Nairobi from Mombasa on Monday, and two days later we were playing another match. The poor display we witnessed today could have been a result of fatigue,” lamented the tactician.

This comes barely a week after the Frenchman expressed dissatisfaction with his attacking force ahead of the FKF Cup final, saying his forwards were not scoring as freely as expected, a problem once again exposed against Ulinzi Stars.

Tusker has been relying on Eric Kapaito as their main goal scorer, supported by teenager David Polepole, who was promoted to the senior team from Tusker Youth, and Tanzanian forward Ibrahim Joshua, who rejoined the club during the January transfer window for his second stint with the Ruaraka-based side.

“We have not been conceding many goals, but at the same time, we have not been scoring freely. We need to be at our best upfront in the final to increase our chances of winning the Cup,” Mette stated.

“We are working on improving our sharpness in attack with our three main strikers, who have done well whenever given opportunities to play. However, they have not been able to score consistently,” the tactician added a week ago.

Tusker secured their place in the final after beating them 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw in regulation time.

Mette, who has previous coaching experience in Africa, was appointed head coach of Tusker FC on February 20, 2026, replacing Charles Okere.

After suffering back-to-back Premier League defeats, Tusker are currently 11th on the table with 44 points and one match left to play this season.