Five talking points from 2024/25 Ghana Premier League matchday 11

The 2024/25 Ghana Premier League is getting increasingly competitive and thrilling as we approach the halfway stage of the season. Near misses, tantalizing moments, ecstasy, and heartbreaks characterized matchday 11.

3Sports takes a look at the major highlights from an exhilarating weekend.

 

Asante Kotoko’s woes beyond goalscoring

Goal-scoring has not been the only bane of Asante Kotoko, who showed over the weekend that their inadequacies go beyond putting the ball in the back of the net.

Defensively, Kotoko have a problem. In their last five games, Kotoko have conceded seven goals.

Beyond concession, it’s the manner in which the Porcupines go behind in games, which leaves a lot to be desired.

Against Nations FC on Sunday, two goalkeeping howlers by Mohamed Camara gifted the visitors their two goals. Regular shot-stopper Fredrick Asare once again looked on from the bench as the skipper of the side is yet to be given a look-in since he committed errors against Legon Cities at the end of October.

Kotoko striker Albert Amoah, who before injuring his knee against Heart of Lions in round nine, was on a great run of form and had scored in four straight games. His absence has left the team light-weighted in front of goal.

Kotoko’s coach, Prosper Ogum, seems to be tinkering and uncertain with his first-choice goalkeeping option. Mohamed Camara and Fredrick Asare have shared the goalkeeping responsibilities this term, with Camara featuring in five games while Asare featuring in six.

However, Asare, who is an apparent castaway has the better statistics as compared to the coach’s favourite, Camara.

In his six games, Asare has conceded four goals, kept three clean sheets, and boasts an impressive 50% win rate, whereas Camara has conceded five goals in as many games, has one clean sheet, and an awful 20% win rate.

Kotoko, at the moment, are languishing in 8th position, four points off the relegation zone and eight points off the top of the table.

 

Hearts of Oak gaining momentum

It will be abominable to talk Kotoko and not talk Hearts, particularly in a period where the Phobians have seemingly turned a corner in their last three games.

For the first time since coach Aboubakar Ouattara joined the club in February, they have picked up three consecutive league wins.

The manager, to his credit, has been able to block out the noise, focusing on defensive stability to lay a platform for his team to express themselves.

In the Phobians’ last three games, they are yet to concede, scoring four times and picking up an impressive win at Tarkwa and Narelugu. This might just be the form needed before the Super Clash with fierce rivals Kotoko on matchday 13.

Hamza Issah scored his 11th goal under Ouattara -the most of any player- and his fourth against Karela; his favourite opponent.

After Wayo took over the goal-scoring responsibility, Issah got back on the scoresheet with a lovely finish after racing clear of Karela’s defence.

Hearts’ amazing form sees them climb to fourth in the league, four points off the top of the table.

 

Nations FC’s impressive away form sends them top of the table

No team has garnered more points on the road than Nations FC (13). In fact, Nations have picked up more points away from home than they have in home games (9). Once again, against Asante Kotoko on Sunday, Nations were at their fluid best as they put two unanswered goals past an insipid Asante Kotoko.

Since the start of last season, Nations are yet to lose a home game, and with their enviable form on the road this season, coach Kassim Mingle can take encouragement from his team’s performances.

The win against Kotoko marked Nations fourth successive win, scoring nine goals in that time and conceding none.

Still early days but Nations are looking determined to mount a real title challenge and with their in-form striker, Faisal  Charwetey, scoring the most goals in the league (8), Nations can further increase their two-point lead over second-placed GoldStars by December.

 

GoldStars unbeaten run snapped

After ten games, GoldStars had accumulated 20 points from five wins and five draws, but a trip to Tarkwa, especially facing a Medeama side who were without a win in their last three games, was always going to be an uphill task.

Kelvin Nkrumah and Derrick Fordjour did the damage for the Mauves and Yellow on Sunday.

GoldStars will presumably not take this as an out-of-the-blue result, owing to the warning signs they were shown in the previous weeks.

Against Young Apostles and 10-man Dreams FC, they failed to score and dropped two crucial points. Their inability to kill teams off, as evident in recent weeks, has come back to bite them.

In Nations FC, GoldStars look to have gotten themselves a genuine title challenger.

 

Rejuvenated Dreams maintain upward surge

Nine games into the season and there were murmurs that this might probably be the season where Dreams FC are relegated from the top flight.

And these concerns were legitimate, with the Still Believe lads drawing five times and losing four after nine games.

Since then, there’s been no turning back for Dreams who are playing with the gusto that sent them to the last four of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Dreams are undefeated in their last three games, winning two – including a 1-0 win over Vision on Sunday- and drawing one.

Coach Karim Zito will not be in a haste to get too ahead of himself or schedule for his inexperienced guns, but moving from the drop zone is a positive he would have gladly embraced four weeks ago when his side’s crisis was at its crescendo.

With 11 points from 11 games, Dreams are 14th and face Karela United next as they aspire to continue their upturn in form.

The post Five talking points from 2024/25 Ghana Premier League matchday 11 first appeared on 3News.

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