Francis Baraza’s Magic: How Kakamega Homeboyz Became a Defensive Powerhouse

Kakamega Homeboyz are riding on a wave of good results since the arrival of Francis Baraza. The 2023 Mozzart Bet Cup winners have been consistent with good results in their recent league matches. Defensively, they are solid and compact as they have yet to concede a goal in their last six matches. In front of the goal, they are proving to be a threat with Moses Shumah leading the attack and scoring for fun.

“Abana Be Ingo” had a nightmare start to the season, which led to the sacking of Ken Kenyatta just after seven matches on the touchline. In that abysmal run, they only managed to pick up five points as they registered only 1 win, 2 draws, and 4 losses. At that time, they had a porous defense that was being easily bypassed by the opponent as they recorded the worst defensive stats in the league by conceding 12 goals. In front of the goal, they also struggled to put the ball at the back of the net as they managed to score only five times.

However, the arrival of Francis Baraza brought a smile to the faces of many Homeboyz fans. The team's performance rejuvenated and the Kakamega-based side is proving to be a hard side to play against in the league.

The strength of “Abana Be Ingo” has been their compactness in their defensive third, as they have denied the opponent access to the dangerous zones of goal-scoring and chance creation. In the last six league matches played, no team has managed to shoot past their shot-stopper Simon Masika. With the departure of first-choice goalkeeper James Ssestuba, whose contract elapsed, Simon Masika has stepped in and delivered a masterclass performance as he has kept five clean sheets (against Bidco, Gor Mahia, Mara Sugar, Ulinzi Star, and Nairobi City Stars).

Francis Baraza sets his side in a 1-3-4-2 formation. In possession, the wingbacks Brian Omondi “Buba” and Farouk Musisi advanced with overlapping runs to create overloads in the last line of attack. With their good delivery of crosses in the box, the team heavily relies on them for creativity in wide areas.

Out of possession, the wingbacks drop deep in a 5-3-2 formation. Defending with 5 in the last line of defence, ensures the opponents are denied access to dangerous zones. The team has mastered this formation whenever they are out of the ball, and the sides they play against struggle to break this compact and solid defensive approach.

Francis Baraza has overseen 16 matches for the Kakamega-based side. His side has accumulated 25 points, which tallies the team's points to 30. On the run, the team has managed to pick up 7 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses. Under his reign, the team has only conceded 8 goals. The results leave them seven on the log, only 11 points behind the league leaders, Kenya Police FC.

Baraza fancies playing with two forwards up front. On most occasions, Moses Shumah and Paul Wangi have been deployed to lead the line for the Homeboyz side in a 1-3-5-2 formation. The Kenyan international, Moses Shumah, must be enjoying his life under the stewardship of Baraza. He has been steadily on the rise as he is the leading goalscorer for the club, and he has managed to score 10 goals.