GPL review: 7 things we learned from matchday 2

It was the second matchday of the Ghana Premier League. We saw 15 goals, upsets, 5 home wins , 2 away wins and still no draw.

AHMED NUREEDEN IS THE FIRST CASUALTY
"That is the nature of the job. If things don’t work out for you, you will just have to resign.My reasons for resigning are personal but the coach must take blame for the poor performance of the players.We need teamwork to win matches not individual play." These were the words of the first coaching casualty of the Ghana league a day after losing at home to Dormaa. Aduana were expected to blow teams apart after putting together arguably the best attacking talents on the land. Daniel Darkwah, Noah Martey, Yaya Mohammed, Zakaria Mummuni will send shivers down the spine of many defenders but as a team, they have just failed to function. The coach has taken utmost responsibility for this but there could be other issues contributing to their abysmal start. Godfred Saka was stripped off his captaincy and fined a month’s salary. The next coach will need to get his house in order before he can fire this talented side to reach their potential.

DID WA ALL STARS GRAB SOME MAGIC FROM SAUDI ARABIA
Wa All Stars began the season in rather uncertain fashion. Coach Jimmy Cobblah was sacked prior to the campaign after overseeing a disastrous preseason. Assistant coach Amos Adepa was promoted to head coach role but that was not all. The club embarked on a trip to Saudi Arabia and have returned a different side. All Stars struggled to win away from home last season and in one attempt this season, they have all three points. They did it at no easy ground than Dormaa where Aduana were unbeaten there last season.

IS J.E SARPONG ALREADY A GONER?
Ebusua Dwarfs became the first team in the league to lose twice in a row in the league. Their coach J.E Sarpong blamed their first defeat on overconfidence but the way and manner they lost their second game was simply abysmal. Dwarfs looked short of ideas, ordinary and a side forgetting what was a t stake. This turn of events simply left coach Sarpong astounded. He could not fathom how a team he has seen through Division One and produce the top scorer there look so wayward on the pitch. He already hinted sabotage on the part of his players and was already contemplating a departure. Their next fixture is against Hearts of Oak that could certainly spell the end for Sarpong’s reign.

DISREGARD INJURY AND AGE, BEKOE KNOWS HOW TO FIND THE BACK OF THE NET

After being rendered useless in their 3-0 drabbing against Wa All Stars a week ago, Eric Bekoe was on a task to prove doubters wrong and he certainly. A brace in their entertaining 4-2 win over Techiman City might have well silenced the critics for a while. The first was a penalty expertly converted but his second was simply amazing. Bekoe already scored a contender for goal of the season rifled the ball into the net well from 30-yards. He left Techiman City’s keeper in no man’s land as commentators will put it. Bekoe might not possess the strength to play all 90 minutes of football but his movement and instincts have not deserted him. He is still a classic poacher and will find the net a couple more times this season.

MAHAMA TAKES OVER FROM SAMUDEEN
Samudeen Ibrahim took over the headlines last week after a scintillating display against New Edubiase but this week belonged to Baba Mahama. The Techiman City playmaker was a delight to watch and despite his side’s 4-2 defeat at the hands of Hasaacas, he left the stadium with many admirers. Just like modern playmakers, Mahama has good feet and close control and a good eye for a pass. He destabilized the Hasaacas backline anytime he had the ball and will cause teams more problem. Just like Samudeen, the main issue will be how consistent he will be over the season and how he can cope with the physical demands of the game.

STILL EARLY BUT KENI HAS A PLAN
Japanese American Kenichi Yatsuhashi was criticized after being appointed with members of his own club doubting his credentials. However, two games in and Kenichi is on course to win over doubters. His main priority was to improve the physical side of a Hearts of Oak team who clearly could not last the entire duration of matches last season. Two matches on and Hearts have won all their two matches in the last quarter of games where they have grown stronger. They are not playing eye pleasing soccer yet but they are well structured. From the words of Kenichi himself, the team is still improving and they will be a delight to watch when they grasp all his concepts.

BUT ERIC KUMI NEED TO BE FLOGGED
Attacker Eric Kumi fetched Hearts second goal and assisted the first but his behavior after the second goal needs much talking to. Kumi got booked a few minutes before scoring and when he finally scored, he took off his jersey to receive a second caution. This goal was not winning Hearts the CAF Champions League neither was it winning the Phobians the league nor was it a go ahead goal. Yet he celebrated it by taking off his jersey. You can’t begrudge him for showing much delight on scoring but as a professional he should know better especially when he was booked a few minutes before that.

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Story by Ghana/Joy Sports/Kweku Arhin