Liberty Professional head coach David Ocloo slammed his side’s defensive organization as they succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Ebusua Dwarfs in their own backyard, Carl Reindolf park.



The home side head coach was far from pleased, as he lamented about his side’s inability to hold on to an early lead surrendering to a 2-1 loss at home.

The Dansoman based club shot into the lead through an Abraham Wayo penalty but were pegged back with goals from Michael Ohene Asamoah and Musah Sumaila.

However in a presser, after the match ended, David Ocloo heaped praise on the opposite setup saying that their determination paid off hence the victory on the day.

“The determined side won the day. They were more determined than us.”

Our defending was very poor today we will go back and see how best to shape our setup heading into the next game of the league”.

He however entreated the clubs teeming fans, who trooped into the stadium for the first time following the president’s directive for fans to support their clubs under carefully laid down protocols to have the patience for his young side who have lots to learn in the game.

“They should take heart, football is three things, win, lose, draw, they should just give them time, this is a young team, they would rise up and come good in the next game” an optimistic David Ocloo.

Liberty are up against Dreams FC at the Theatre of Dreams, Dawu in week ten of the ongoing Ghana Premier League.

A misunderstanding between Christopher Nettey and Fabio Gama might have been the reason Asante Kotoko secured a deserved 2-0 win against Liberty Professionals on Monday.

Asante Kotoko are now 6th in the Ghana Premier League table thanks to two goals from Kwame Opoku.

However, Asante Kotoko’s win against Liberty Professionals could be credited to a mistake and ‘mere misunderstanding’ between Christopher Nettey and Fabio Gama; Nettey was supposed to play in the midfield, with Fabio Gama taking a more attacking role. But Nettey started the game at the right side alongside Kwame Opoku and William Opoku Mensah in a 4-3-3 formation, with Fabio Gama playing in the right midfield alongside Sarkodie and Adom Frimpong in the first half.

Christopher Nettey’s new role threw confusion into the defensive line of their opponents who thought the defender would be playing from the right back position. Nettey’s new role gave him so much freedom that he almost opened the scoring just few minutes into the game and had subsequent opportunites to assist his teammates but his end product was not as good as his positioning.

After the game, Liberty Professionals coach David Ocloo revealed Kotoko outsmarted him by playing Christopher Nettey upfront; a decision which he admitted unsettled his backline and helped Kotoko score two goals in the first half.

David Ocloo who wasn’t aware of the misunderstanding in Kotoko’s setup praised Johnson Smith for his tactical brilliance in the game.

“We didn’t expect Christopher Nettey to play were he played, we were expecting him to play at the right-back position” he said.

“Football is a tactical game, and Kotoko were better tactically and that was why they won the game today” he added.

Liberty Professionals read the game and made tactical adjustments to match Kotoko in the second half but couldn’t get back in the game despite dominating the second 45 minutes of the game.

Asante Kotoko coach Johnson Smith who was pleased with the win however revealed that Nettey’s position in the first half was a mistake and a ‘mere misunderstanding’ between the player and Fabio Gama.

“It was a mere misunderstanding between Nettey and Gama, It wasn’t planned at all,” he said.

Asante Kotoko have now won two league games in a row since Johnson Smith took over from Maxwell Konadu.

The 35-year-old coach joins the Dansoman based outfit with a reputation for an attacking style of play and talent development.

He replaces David Reginald Asante, who has taken a sabbatical leave in pursuit of a coaching course abroad. Coach Asante led the team to an impressive turn out during the Normalisation Cup where the club missed the finals by a whisker.

He also saw to the emergence of several players including Elvis Kwei Baffour who is expected to one of the break out stars of the coming season.

Speaking on the appointment, club CEO Linda Ansong explained why the club had settled on Mr.Ocloo.

“We liked David’s enthusiasm and a fresh outlook on how to play football. He is ambitious and wants to grow with us. We also like that he has a clear picture of what we want to build going forward. We have one of the youngest teams in the Premier League and we feel he will provide these boys the best chance at maximizing their potential”.

David Ocloo has previously worked with Wa All Stars and Maranatha FC of Togo. He also enjoyed a playing career in Asia for several years.