By: David Kyei

Date: 16-05-11

The battle for the second spot on the log of Glo Premier League heats up on Wednesday as the two contending clubs, Asante Kotoko and AshGold squares it off at the Baba Yara Stadium in the 27^th week action of the 2010/11 season.

Whilst the battle for the second position would be fiercely contested for on the field by the players who would be done the honor of playing for their respective sides, much of the action would be for pride and tactical superiority by the technical handler of the two teams.

Serbians, Bogdan Korak and Slobodan Gnjidic are the technical handlers of Kotoko whilst Croatian, Zdravko Lugarusic, heads the AshGold technical bench.

But for the 1990s disintegration of the former Yugoslavia that saw Serbia, Croatia and other four republics going their separate ways to become autonomous countries, the coaches would have been from the same country.

That notwithstanding, they share many cultural attributes with the commonest of them being language and their names.

Another similarity that the coaches share is that they lead two teams have forty-two points apiece on the league log with Kotoko commanding a superior goals aggregate of eleven as against AshGold’s eight.

History aside, the coaches had their basic coaching training in their respective countries and so similarities of tactics and composure on the field of play are expected.

Much as the coaches of the teams are good in their own rights, the bulk of the work for the three points at stake would be done and determined by the quality of players who would be selected.

However, before the players go to the pitch to do battle, the coaches of the Kotoko and AshGold have started talking and Zdravko Lugarusic is doing the loudest of the talking.

Days before tomorrow’s match (a day after Kotoko has travelled to settle for a pulsating 2-2 draw against Kpando Heart of Lions), Coach Luga, as Zdravko is affectionately called started telling Kotoko Express of how he was determined to come to Kumasi to cause a setback to the second position aspiration of Kotoko.

“Now that we share the same points, I am sorry to tell you my friends at Kotoko that I am leading my team to come to Kumasi to beat you. I have decided to sound this early warning so that you are not shocked when it happens,” Coach Luga said in a telephone conversation with Kotoko Express.

As the days get closer to the day of the match, Luga has increased the intensity of the verbal warning to Kotoko.

“I admit that Kotoko is in a good form but much of the difference of Wednesday’s match would be made from the bench where I would be operating from”.

“Fortunately for me, I hear the match would be played in the evening and Kotoko knows well that I am a very lucky coach when it comes to playing matches in the evening,” Zdravko delved into the dangerous and slippery grounds of superstition and in apparent reference to the 1-0 victory he led King Faisal to chalk over Kotoko in the second round of the 2009/10 Glo Premier league played under flood lights at the Baba Yara Stadium.

In his newly adopted soberness especially when it comes to predicting matches, Asante Kotoko’s Bogdan Korak has accepted the challenge of his compatriot and has urged that they allowed the pitch to decide.

“Now that my team is getting their acts together and playing to instructions, I can only tell all opponents we have to play in the remainder of the league matches to do less talking and think about how they can stop us”.

“I welcome Zdravko to the Baba Yara Stadium and after I have finished beating him and taken all the points, maybe we can then sit somewhere and share some bottles of whatever drinks he would like to have”.

In the first round of the 2010/11 Glo Premier league season, Kotoko then under the command of Coach Ebo Mends travelled to inflict a painful 0-1 defeat down the throats of the then David Duncan led AshGold at the Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi.

From the speeches of the opposing coaches, the battle lines have been drawn and fans who make it to the Baba Yara Stadium would indeed be served an appetizing Serbian and Croatian menu of good football served by a group of players who are bent on ending the night on a good note for pride, fame and fortune in winning bonuses.