McCarthy gave his thoughts after Kenya produced a superb performance to defeat Grenada 3-0 in their third-place play-off FIFA Series fixture at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday.
First-half goals from Austin Odhiambo and Ryan Ogam, and a third from substitute Zech Obiero, enabled Kenya to return home with one win from the Series. Kenya had lost the opener 4-5 on penalties against Estonia. The two teams had tied 1-1 in regular time.
Against Grenada, who had lost against Rwanda 4-0, Harambee Stars went into the half-time break enjoying a 2-0 lead, but it could have been more had they turned their dominance into goals. Kenya continued to dominate proceedings and sealed the game with only seven minutes left to the final whistle.
McCarthy worried about lack of goals
“It was a good game, we were able to convert the couple of chances we created, and deservedly won the game, but still I have a cloud hanging over my head,” McCarthy told Flashscore.
“If I assess our game against Senegal, they made nine chances, and scored eight, today, we created 11 chances, clear cut chances, and we only managed three goals. For me that is a little bit of a worry.
“We are not able to finish the games off, even when we create chances like we did, and we don’t score them. Yeah, we should be happy with 3-0 but I think sometimes when you look at the other side of things, how do you create as many clear cut chances and you don’t turn them into goals?
Senegal defeated Kenya 8-0 in a friendly played on November 18, 2025, in Antalya, Turkey. Sadio Mané scored a first-half hat-trick, while Nicolas Jackson added a brace for Senegal in what was described as a historically heavy loss for the Harambee Stars.
The former Manchester United assistant coach added: “You know the next team, you may not be as lucky as you were today. Like against Estonia, we also created enough chances, and we should have won the game, and we should have played in the final.
“I am happy for the boys, happy they were able to pick themselves up after losing on penalties (against Estonia), but we take that 3-0 win, and keep learning, and hopefully, we can improve and take positives from this match and we move forward.”
McCarthy targets more time with players
McCarthy went further to request Football Kenya Federation (FKF) for enough time with the players. The South African legend said: “I really don’t have enough time to spend with the team. We need enough time to work on tactics, to avoid wasting chances, the way we did.
“We can work on our finishing with enough time. I think if I can get enough time with the team, it will work. I think CHAN 2024, we were able to be together for a month, that's why we were able to do well in the competition.
“Hopefully in the off-season, I will get to be with the players. It will help if we get more time because I will get to be with the players and understand their weaknesses.
“I think with the AFCON coming up, hopefully I can get more time with the team, that we can camp with the team for two or three weeks, that will be very nice.”
During the 2024 CHAN hosted in East African, Kenya under McCarthy reached the Round of 16 after topping their group that involved Morocco, DR Congo, Angola, and Zamba.
Harambee Stars’ campaign captured the imagination of the nation. Drawn in a tough group, they battled to finish top of Group A with 10 points from three wins and a draw.
But the quarter-finals brought heartbreak. Against Madagascar, Kenya led 1-0 but conceded a late equaliser and eventually bowed out on penalties.