Sports
Can Chelsea bounce back against Kotoko?
Berekum Chelsea suffered, perhaps, their biggest home defeat in the hands of struggling Hearts of Oak in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) last week.
That outcome came as a shock to fans considering Hearts struggles in recent times.
As painful as that defeat was, Chelsea fans remain unconvinced about attempt by the players and technical team to blame proficiency in front of goal for the defeat.
They will hope to bounce back today in their match day 30 top fixture against a resurgent Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Golden City Park in Berekum.
But Kotoko appear to have halted the bad patch that made them relegation prospect and would count on their attack spearheaded by Stephen Mukwala to hand the home team a second defeat in a row.
Today at the Dawu Theatre of Dreams, Legon Cities would also oblige relegation threatened Accra Great Olympics in a game both sides would need the points at stake to avoid a drop.
It may be considered a game of equals, judging from the way the two sides are battling hard to avoid a relegation dogfight.
Their games have produced the usual thrills associated with local rivalries and this will be no exception although Cities look comfortable at their adopted home ground to pull a surprise.
However, Olympics who suffered a painful late minute goal against Medeama last week are more than angry to snatch the second win of their campaign.
The Accra Hearts of Oak versus Aduana Stars clash at the Accra Sports Stadium would headline tomorrow’s round of matches with the Phobians under pressure to prove their win over Chelsea was no fluke.
Both sides were among the favourites for the season but they failed to meet those expectations, churning out inconsistent outcomes.
Currently, they are out of contention for any silverware but finishing in the Top- Four remains a motivation that could drive them to put up a very good performance.
At the Prof. Nana Amoah Koronmansah II Park, Nsoatreman will engage Goldstars while Bechem United come face-to-face with Karela United at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park.
In other games, Medeama return to the Akoon Park to face Real Tamale United while FC Samartex slug it out with Bofoakwa Tano.
By Spectator Sports Reporter
Accra Hearts of Oak will aim to assume the top spot of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) when they travel to Tema to face Vision FC at the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex today.
Perched at the second spot and trailing leaders Medeama with three points, the Phobians would need to snatch the maximum points and a superior goal aggregate to have a taste of the top spot, at least for a day.
It will be a game full of fireworks considering Hearts’ impressive performance on the road against Vision’s strength at home.
The Matchday 6 games would also witness a Saturday clash between Heart of Lions and Berekum Chelsea FC at the Kpando Stadium.
Asante Kotoko’s home clash against Young Apostles will headline tomorrow’s games as they aim to bounce back after the previous week’s defeat in Swedru.
At the Nsenkyire Sports Arena, FC Samartex will test Medeama SC’s character when they clash in what could affect their respective positions on the table after the round seven matches.
After the giant-killing feat over Asante Kotoko, Swedru All Blacks will lock horns with Karela United at the Swedru Stadium just as Basake Holy Stars engage Bechem United at the AAK II Sports Arena,
Fireworks is anticipated at the Debibi Presby Park in the Bono region where Debibi United FC look poised to face Gold Stars.
At the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park, Aduana FC will welcome FC Ashantigold in a clash that will see fans applaud afternoon.
By Andrew Nortey
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Over two decades ago, I made a statement that if I was given the sole responsibility to come out with the league fixtures for the season, I could give some advantage to some clubs and make winning the league difficult for other clubs. People laughed it off.
To them, it didn’t make sense because in a league in which all clubs play each other twice, things will ‘balance out,’ and the best club will win. I disagree, and I will explain.
In recent times, it seems Kumasi Asante Kotoko has more difficult first five games in the league than arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak. Debatable?
This is exactly one of the ways to make it difficult for a club to win the league (if a club is marginally better than the others). How can making the first matches in the league difficult for a club lead to a disadvantage for the club?
A. The club starts on a poor note and may struggle to catch up
Imagine a club playing its first five matches against its most difficult opponents. If the club draws all five matches, it will end up with five points. A rival club that plays its easiest matches in the first five games could end up with 15 points.
It will not be easy for the club with five points to catch up with the club with 15 points because other factors will come in.
B. Psychological ‘boost’ for the winning club and possible stress/’depression’ for the seemingly struggling club
The team that is winning gets a boost. They appear to be better. Their players get confident. Their strikers may be leading on the Goal King chart. Their goalkeeper(s) will be having more clean sheets – finishing matches without conceding goals.
This will be opposite for the team that played more difficult matches. The supporters may be demanding more from the players, putting them under more pressure.
Some of the players may ‘crack’ under the pressure. New players are especially more difficult to settle down. They may end up on the bench for subsequent matches and may struggle to recover and come back into the first team.
C. The coach may be sacked or may resign/leave under pressure
The coach of the club that plays more difficult matches will come under pressure. The coach is likely going to be judged by the points accrued and the position of the club on the league table, not by the quality of opposition faced.
The pressure will come from the bosses and the supporters. The coach may end up being sacked or resigning/leaving under pressure.
D. Players more likely to get injured in tough matches
The club that plays more difficult matches is likely to record more injuries of its players early in the season. Some players may miss the whole season through injuries.
On the other hand, the club that plays easier matches earlier in the season will have the luxury to substitute and rest players when they are comfortably leading in matches.
Players may not have to exert themselves so much, reducing the risk of injuries.
E. Supporters abandon the team that is not winning and may not go to the stadium to give home support
If a club is not winning, its supporters may not pay money to go to the stadium to watch matches. In fact, they may not even go to the stadium if they are asked to go and watch matches for free.
This will not only have financial consequences for the club, an almost empty stadium takes away the home advantage from the ‘intimidation’ of supporters.
The above are all reasons why the first games in the league can give an advantage or a disadvantage to clubs.
Once this it accepted, it means there must be fairness in coming up with the league fixtures if we want the best club(s) to emerge as winners who can represent the country and not disgrace the country internationally.
A transparent way of coming up with the league fixtures is needed (like how balloting is done for knockout competitions).
This way, clubs and individuals cannot complain that someone or some people decided to favour some clubs through the league fixtures.
By Dr. (Med) Kofi Effah
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