Afcon 2021 Qualifiers: Is it time for Kenya to bench Wanyama?

Kenya's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo represented an ideal opportunity for the Harambee Stars to take top spot in qualifying Group G.

The East Africans had held Egypt at home in their opener, while Togo had been defeated by lowly Comoros to boost Francis Kimanzi's side heading into the match at Kasarani Stadium.

With the result filtering in from Comoros that Egypt had drawn their second successive match, the mood at Kasarani was electric, and Kenya just needed a leader to guide the team to another win against Togo on home soil.

That leader was none other than Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama...or at least it ought to have been.

The Kenya captain had promised the fans maximum points ahead of the bout, and urged them to turn out in large numbers to cheer the side to victory.

So all eyes were on Wanyama, who had an opportunity to reaffirm his qualities after struggling for gametime at Spurs. Kimanzi still believes in him, and the powerhouse finds himself with another opportunity to prove he has what it takes to oversee another qualifying campaign.

Goal Kenya.

Despite Kenya starting strongly against the Sparrow Hawks, the midfield, where Kimanzi had opted to partner Wanyama with Johanna Omollo and Lawrence Juma, was not up to scratch.

Surprisingly, Wanyama was the weak link, struggling to assist the other two, and looking out of place. His passing was poor, he appeared heavy on the ball, and didn't appear particularly mobile when opportunities presented themselves.

His first two mishit passes produced uproar from the fans, and it was the start of a bad night for the celebrated Kenyan.

While Juma and Omollo continued to bail out Kenya when Togo came attacking, Wanyama was lost in the middle of the park, lacking match fitness, perhaps as a consequence of his lack of gametime at Spurs.

Against Mozambique, in the build-up to the Afcon qualifiers, Wanyama also struggled, and received boos from the fans following Kenya's 1-0 loss. He also appeared off the boil against Egypt.

Goal Kenya.

When coach Kimanzi opted to substitute Juma for Kenneth Muguna, the entire Kasarani rose to disagree as they felt Wanyama should have been taken off instead.

It was surprising that Wanyama managed to play the entire 90 minutes, and at the final whistle, he was once again booed by the agitated fans.

Wanyama’s poor show for Kenya can also be traced back to the Afcon finals in Egypt, where the Harambee Stars failed to make it past the group stage after losing to Senegal and Algeria and managing a win against Tanzania.

It was a performance that forced former Harambee Stars coaches Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee and Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno to question the player’s performance and his leadership abilities.

“He wasn’t at his best in the last three games going by the performance he put out there,” Mulee told a TV station during the Afcon matches. “[Wanyama] was a very average player. I expected more from him as a captain on the field in terms of organising the team.

“Again, I didn’t see much of that," Mulee concluded. "The team lacked leadership. I know his nature is that of a quiet player and perhaps that doesn’t suit a captain."

His sentiments were echoed by Otieno, who took charge of the national team between 2010 and 2011.

“Just as [‘Ghost’] has said, [Wanyama] doesn’t fit as a captain," he began. "Maybe he was given the role because of his profile.

"The team lacks a leader, one who commands respect from both the players and the technical bench, someone capable of marshaling the team on and off the pitch, someone with leadership qualities.”

Goal Kenya.

But was Kimanzi right to start Wanyama against Togo?

ODM Communications Director Philip Etale argues that even the greatest footballers are substituted when they are not playing well, and Wanyama should be no exception.

“Not once but twice, Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri has made the decision to substitute one of the world’s greatest footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo, when he felt like his input was not good on the two instances,” Etale told Goal. “Even captains (Wanyama included) are rested to allow new blood in the match when it is not going the right way.”

Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula admits it is high time the technical bench started looking beyond Wanyama for the national team.

“We are relying too much on [Wanyama] and it seems the player has reached his end for the national team,” Shimanyula told Goal. "We have better midfielders in the Kenyan Premier League who can replace [Wanyama], and the selectors should stop looking at the big names and look at the players we have in the local league.”

Tottenham.

But why could Wanyama be struggling?

Former Gor Mahia keeper Mike Kisaghi insists Wanyama might not be mentally fit because he lacks playing time at Tottenham.

“If you ever played football, you know how it feels when you are not playing for your team and I know it is troubling Wanyama,” Kisaghi told Goal. “When you play alongside your teammates and feature in matches it gives you the confidence wherever you go.

"Wanyama must be struggling because he has not featured prominently this season for Spurs.”

However, Kisaghi also argues that as well as lacking enough playing time at his club, Wanyama’s quality of play has deteriorated.

“It is not the [Wanyama] we used to know,” Kisaghi continued. “His performances for the national team have really gone down and at some point, it is the coach who should make a decision, maybe he should try and drop him from the next qualifier, and we see how Kenya will perform without him.”

The Togo bout was a game that Wanyama should have used to convince Kenyan fans he can still lead the side, but his display once again left many questions which need to be answered, as the Harambee Stars fans still yearn for the player they once knew.

We must now wait until August for the qualifiers to resume, giving Kimanzi and his bench enough time to decide if Wanyama still has a role to play in this Stars starting XI.