Stand-in Coach of Accra Hearts of Oak, David Dickson Ocloo, has described the team’s 5-1 defeat in the hands of league leaders, Medeama SC, as a very shameful one.
According to him, it was a defeat the technical team and playing body take full responsibility for.
“It is a very shameful defeat; we came in with a plan, but it was a disaster. This is football, sometimes it happens,” said Coach Ocloo during his post-match press conference.
Following the heavy defeat, Ocloo boldly declared that the season was over for Hearts regarding the club’s championship aspiration.
“The attention has now shifted to placing a respectable position on the league table. The target is to earn a place from second to fourth position.”
According to him, the team was undone by a decision to play with three defenders at the back.
“We decided on a three-back formation which backfired, so we switched quickly to a 4-3-3 formation which initially which worked but my boys gave Medeama too much time and space on the ball. They took advantage of that to punish us.”
“I watched Medeama a couple of times; they are used to the 4-4- 2 system, so we wanted to surprise them with the 4-3-3 system, but they also surprised us with the same system and also enjoyed a good day.”
“They were very clinical today and they hurt us with the spaces they had. This is not the first time we’re playing a three back system. I was a bit surprised how things went today. We used the same system against A.S Bamako and Nsoatreman FC so it is not new to them,” he noted.
“We’ll all take the blame for this defeat. No one should single a player out for the defeat. It’s a team defeat and that’s it.”
He said the agenda for the next three matches was to win and earn a place among the top four teams at the end of the season, further added.
Hearts will next face city rivals, Legon Cities FC, on Saturday at the El-Wak Stadium.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
