Ogum's familiar flops

Oh Asante! Enko si dabɛn?

That was a perplexed Kotoko fan, moments after watching his team slump to a third straight defeat in the league.

That statement is loaded. It could be interpreted to mean the drought against Bechem United. Before Sunday, Kotoko had not won at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park in eight years. Kofi Tompuo's goal has ensured that the earliest Kotoko will break that jinx is in the ninth year.

It could also be referring to Kotoko's listless form. Sunday's defeat means the Porcupine Warriors are now winless in four straight matches. In theory, these are all winnable games. Debutants Holy Stars, Legon Cities who were winless when defeating Kotoko, Heart of Lions who had not won an away match all season, and a Bechem United team trying to figure out what it wants to be.

Kotoko coach Prosper Ogum

For emphasis, Bechem United lost the core that made them FA Cup finalists (Clinton Doudu, Samuel Osei Kuffour, Kofi Agbesimah, Aaron Essel, Emmanuel Avornyo, Latin Anabilla, and Ousmane Sampi. That is the entire nucleus of the team plus two more players. To make matters worse, the man who gave meaning to the Bechem project for years, coach Kassim Ocansey "Mingle" left for money bags, Nations FC.
Yet, Kotoko had to wait for the final fifteen minutes of the match before recording their first shot on target.

Still, there is a sense of familiarity with Kotoko's dross. Last year, Kotoko lost four consecutive matches between match week 20 and match week 2023. It took a crisis meeting at Manhyia to stop the rot.

In July, Kotoko sacked over fifteen players in an unscientific recruitment drive. The decision to sack them was made by the same man who signed them in the first place.

Four months later, the replacements he signed are just as bad if not worse. Mohammed Kamara was projected as the panacea to their goalkeeping "problems". Yet, in consecutive matches, he has made costly errors that have directly resulted in match-deciding goals.

Not long ago, Kotoko had Richmond Lamptey, and Enoch Morrison, to mention a few, in their lineup. Those two could by themselves provide technical leadership; the platform for the team to build up. They had personality and league-winning experience too.

Wisdom Fernando, one of Kotoko's summer splash, is yet to make a goal contribution in ten match weeks. He was signed as replacement for Bernard Somuah, who was sent out on loan to Spanish side Celta Fortuna

In their stead, Prosper Ogum, head coach and acting technical director (in the absence of Kwesi Appiah, who has left the chaos behind for the clarity of Sudan), and management member, has signed a bunch of wannabes who are still learning to cut their teeth.

While giving opportunities to young players is not necessarily a bad thing, it should not be at the expense of the very high standards of the club. The very standards that made Kotoko attractive to Ogum in the first place!

Faisal Charwetey.

There is quite a bit to be said about the league's hottest protest. Where to begin?

The numbers, maybe.

Faisal Charwetey has scored seven goals this season. Six of them have come in the last four weeks.

It is even more impressive when you consider the fact that the former Akatsi Stars winger has not scored in every game in that time - he scored twice against Nsoatreman F.C., another double against Vision FC, the match-winner against Karela, and the opener against Gold Stars.

Charwetey is many things.

The timing of his runs and anticipation have been nice to watch. Just as the judgment calls he makes on when to combine with teammates and when to go solo.

Faisal Charwetey, Nations F.C's live wire with nine goal involvements (seven goals and two assists)

Unlike many forwards, he is proficient with both feet. That gives him an element of unpredictability as he does not need the ball on his stronger foot before causing damage. In terms of weight and size, being lightweight allows him adjust his body at will and manipulate space better.

The modern game requires players to be direct, emphasizing a preference for the end product over all else. To that extent, Charwetey embodies the modern forward.

While he has sufficient dribbling ability to get away from his marker, it is his fixation with the end product that has caught his attention.

In all, the precocious young talent has contributed seven out of the eleven goals Nations have scored so far. In percentage terms, that is 63.6% of their total goals. He is averaging a goal every 102 minutes in what is supposed to be his period of acclimatization in the top flight.

In terms of points won his opener against Gold Stars in the 1-1 draw and the match winner against Karela means he has directly won four points for the team. Add the four goals in the two other games (two in the 3-0 win over Nsoatreman and another brace in the 3-0 win over Vision FC) and he is approaching 10 points won for the club.

That is 52.6% of the 19 points won by Nations FC.

That is a bona fide winner right there.

When Nations face Asante Kotoko, the headlines will not be about Kotoko's Emmanuel Antwi - who has just received his debut call-up to the Black Stars—or Albert Amoah who has five goals.
The storyline should, and will focus on the twenty-one year-old from Ashaiman, who is tearing up defences in his rookie season.

Did I add that he is just a goal-shy of Kotoko's entire tally for the season?

Where are the goals?

While Charwetey is tearing up the league for Nations FC, there is a painfully noticeable lack of goals across the competition.

Even at Nations FC, only four of the eleven goals have been scored by others. Their eleven goals in ten matches is pretty average. That is an average of 1.1 goals per game.

That is even for a club that has scored three goals in a single match on two occasions (against Vision and Nsoatreman) and two goals (in the 2-1 win over Aduana) on one occasion. Statistically, they are the second-best-performing team in the league.

Gold Stars have made their way to the summit of the league through sheer functionality rather than attacking flair

The league leaders, Gold Stars, are even poorer in front of goal. They have scored nine goals in ten matches. The Miners have only more than a goal in a single match on two occasions; 2-1 over Legon Cities on the opening day of the season, and a 2-0 win over Aduana Stars on matchday seven.

While they have notched some impressive wins, the biggest of them being the 1-0 win over Hearts of Oak in Accra, they have fired blanks in up to 30% of their matches (against Heart of Lions, Dreams F.C. and Young Apostles).

Lions are credible opponents but how did the league leaders fail to score against Dreams, the team that has spent the most time at the bottom of the league this season? Or the Young Apostles who have flirted with relegation all season?

Beyond the title contenders, the last two teams to have won the league are also struggling for goals.
Defending champions Samartex has scored nine goals all season. That is fewer than an average of a goal per game. They have only managed to score more than one goal on two occasions; 2-1 against Vision on the opening weekend of the season and a 2-0 win over Nsoatreman a month later.

Medeama S.C., winners from 2023, has scored seven goals in eleven matches all season. Their highest-scoring match was a 2-1 win over new entrants Basake Holy Stars in the regional derby. Medeama have also failed to score in five of their ten matches. That means Medeama have failed to score in 50% of their matches played so far.

Medeama have struggled for consistency despite having former league top scorer (18 goals in the 2020/21 season) Diawusie Taylor (second from left in standing row)

There is even a team in the league that has scored three goals all season. Yes. Dreams F.C
The third of those goals was scored last Saturday against Medeama.

Maybe the goals will come with time but thus far, the lack of goals has been painfully noticeable.