Mathare United head coach David Ouma has identified defensive solidity and attacking efficiency as the two key areas the club must improve before the start of the 2026-2027 FKF Premier League season.The experienced tactician made the assessment after the Slum Boys concluded their eight day pre-season tour of Rwanda, where they faced three top-flight clubs in international friendly matches.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsMathare United failed to register a victory during the trip, losing all three matches without scoring a goal while conceding five. The 2008 league champions opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to APR FC before suffering a similar loss against Gorilla FC in their second encounter.They then ended their Rwanda assignment on a disappointing note after going down 3-0 to defending CECAFA Kagame Cup champions Rayon Sports in their final friendly.##NAJAVA_MECA_901360##While the results exposed areas that require attention, Ouma believes the matches provided valuable lessons ahead of the new campaign.Speaking through the club, the former Harambee Starlets coach pointed to defending and scoring as the main concerns emerging from the three matches."We have had a thrilling pre-season preparation which culminated in us facing three top clubs in Rwanda to test our level of preparedness. I am overall satisfied with the outcome, but of course we have to look at and address defending and scoring because they are major areas where we felt we fell short, going by the scores from the build-up matches," Ouma said.The coach, who recently took charge of Mathare United following his departure from Tanzanian side Singida Black Stars, is now expected to use the remaining period of preparation to fine-tune his squad before the competitive action begins.Akonnor reveals why Harambee Stars defender ditched Gor Mahia for TuskerOuma remains confident that the team can address the shortcomings identified in Rwanda and enter the new season in better shape."We are definitely going to fine-tune the areas and ensure we are ready in all areas before the league commences. There is no need to panic. This is what we expected from the friendly matches and that's where we are now, but I am confident we will be ready to get the season going," he added.The Rwanda tour provided Mathare with a valuable test against established opposition and gave Ouma an opportunity to assess his squad against different tactical approaches.Babu identifies key weakness to fix ahead of Migori Youth’s FKFPL debutWith the 2026-2027 campaign scheduled to begin in August, Mathare will now turn their attention to correcting their attacking and defensive deficiencies as they seek a stronger start to the new season.
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