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 Ebo
Mends recommends cautious optimism
David Kyei, Cape
Coast
Despite his side’s
victory over the ‘Abontoa Abontoa’ Ebusua Dwarfs at their
favourite Robert Mensah stadium last Sunday, Technical manager,
Ebo Mends, has asked that fans do not raise their hopes too much
so as not to bring pressure to bear on his team.
Speaking in a post
match interview with Kotoko Express, he admitted that though his
side did the most important thing in the game of football by
winning, there was more room for improvement as most of the new
signings were yet to find their rhythm to be fully fit in the
Kotoko system.
According to him,
the team was a bit sluggish in the first half of the match
because they are yet to overcome the heavy load that the
strenuous pre-season work has put on them.
“Playing over
time, fans will realize that the players would be shedding off
the fatigue and would be getting into a sweet rhythm that we all
want to see”.
Assessing his
team from goalkeeping to attack, he had this to say;
“Amoako in post
was fantastic as he pulled some beautiful saves that we were all
delighted to see. His confidence in the game was not bourn out
isolation, but was also because he had a solid defence to cover
him up”.
“Though the
midfield did their best, it was not to my fullest satisfaction
as they over elaborated some sometimes thereby making them lose
the ball on some occasions”.
“I must however
admit that they also stuck to my instruction to lay back and rob
their opponents off the ball. I considered the match as an away
one and so we employed all the away strategies that we could”.
The midfield may
have done the part well. But for their over indulgence in
unnecessary antics, but he was not particularly happy with the
attack.
“I do not know
exactly what may have gone wrong but my attack in that match was
not as sharp as I would have expected of them, but I was happy
with the way they held the attack of Dwarfs at bay by preventing
them from coming forward to support their attack”.
“What we shall be
working on the subsequent training sessions would be how to hold
our opponents at bay and also score,” he assured.
With the first
pre-season match done with, the trainer announced that the team
would be spending the rest of the one week tour of the Western
region to train hard at the beach and also arrange a few
training matches to loosen the muscles of the players.
“What we hope to
achieve from the days ahead will be to get into our final
fitness and from there go back to Kumasi to do honour to our
King by successfully defending the Otumfuo Cup”.
“I therefore urge
our supporters to be cautious in their expectations and have the
hope that with their support, we can bring back the golden
fleece that has eluded Kotoko for a long time,” was his message
for the Kotoko supporters who seen to be getting complacent over
the successes that the team has been recording. |
