Reality check

Dejected Kotoko bench 

Could it have been fatigue? Was it that Edubiase were simply better than us? Or that, the Porcupines had every opportunity to win the game yet still blew it? The latter observation, I suspect is true. Edubiase has been a bogey side. There has been no game between them and Kotoko that, we’ve had it easy. To assume that, Edubiase would come easy was to deceive ourselves.

Thankfully, there was nothing to convincing that, Kotoko’s approach to the game was bad. I believe we were determined to win. The quality of play was good but we were lousy in attack. An error in defence got us punished. That was it. Such is football. Teams win and lose often because opponents make mistakes and they pay a price for that.

On Saturday night, Kotoko paid dearly for a defensive mistake. They also paid for not their inability to put in the net. I wasn’t at the stadium. I watched the game on television. I had a bucket full of disappointment seeing the decent chances that were created yet thrown away.

That’s our bane. Goal scoring remains a problem. It’s important Michael Osei take up the challenge and teach the players lessons on the art of scoring. Contrary to what disillusioned fanatics want us to believe, I don’t believe we have poor players. We have good players and they ought to be constantly encouraged to keep sober heads when they get to the goal area.

It’s not enough to create chances and not score. That leaves fans hurt. All that matters in football are goals. Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Pitso Mosimane in their Nedbank Cup game against Orlando Pirates over the weekend made similar observation when his side failed to convert their chances resulting in their 2-0 defeat.

"You don't win the game through possession or chances. You win the game by putting the ball in the net. It doesn't matter how many chances you create. Football doesn't work like that” he said. I reproduced this quote to buttress the point that, Kotoko must get goal scoring right.

I won’t dwell so much on this subject or go to the extent of name-calling but then it was excruciating watching Ahmed Adams for example, fire off-target in front of an empty net.

That has to stop. It has to stop if Kotoko are to make progress in the league competition.

These may be early days yet but it must be understood that, the competition won’t remain in its so-called young stage.

It will travel its full distance. It will get to the point where the curtains will be lowered on it.

At that point, the goals teams have scored; the wins teams have had and all other records will be put together to determine teams’ position. It will be like judgment day. Kotoko won’t have the chance to undo anything. This is the time to perform and await judgment.

The team must utilize their scoring chances. The current trend isn’t the best. They must take note. For me, Edubiase didn’t only re-establish the point that, they are our bogey side. They also gave us a rude awakening. They gave us a reality check. Next time, our attitude towards them ought to be different.

Truth be told, Kotoko are far away from having a finished product. Clearly, the triumph over Dreams FC made us forget so easily the difficulties we’ve experienced lately. Those difficulties notably with scoring, I’m afraid to say, aren’t gone. They are there. They are present. We must eliminate them. The technical team should work on the players’ temperament in front of goal.

I don’t know how they will do that, but at the risk of being repetitive, my message to Coach Michael Osei is that, he must work on the players’ disposition or composure in the goal area. There’s always the need to be calm, pick your spot right and fire home as best as you can.

Where you don’t have to shoot, you tap in. Where you don’t have to tap in, you place the ball. I know it’s easier said than done but any way you look at Kotoko’s situation only one conclusion can be drawn, which’s the team’s conversion rate must improve.