City Stars fault poor focus for indifferent season start

Nairobi City Stars head coach Nicholas Muyoti has attributed his team’s poor start to the FKF Premier League season to defensive lapses and a lack of focus.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Citizen Digital at the team's Nairobi training grounds, Muyoti emphasized the need for improvement in key areas ahead of their upcoming matches.

“A lack of concentration is causing us to concede very silly goals,” said Muyoti. “This is something we must fix before our next games.”

City Stars are currently struggling in 16th place, a significant drop from their 6th-place finish last season.

In their first three matches of the 2024/25 campaign, the team has suffered defeats to Mara Sugar and AFC Leopards, securing only one point in a draw against Bidco United.

The team's offensive struggles have compounded their defensive woes. Muyoti acknowledged that their transition from defence to attack has been ineffective, with poor final passes limiting goal-scoring opportunities.

“Our transition is not good enough,” he admitted. “The final passes to our strikers aren’t reaching them at the right time, so we’re not creating the chances we need.”

Despite the tough start, Muyoti remains optimistic, praising the development of the club’s young players and expressing confidence that they can turn the season around.

“We have a strong squad,” he said. “We just need to work on a few areas, and I’m happy with how our younger players are progressing.”

City Stars’ next three fixtures could prove decisive in their bid to bounce back. They face Sofapaka, currently at the bottom of the table, on October 13th, followed by matches against 13th-placed Kakamega Homeboys and reigning champions Gor Mahia.

Though the team has not won a league game since April—a 3-0 victory over FC Talanta—Muyoti is hopeful that addressing these early-season issues will set the foundation for a successful campaign.

“I’m glad the slow start has come early in the season,” he said. “Now we know what we need to fix as we prepare for our upcoming matches.”