If there is anything Coach Mas-ud Didi Dramani and for that matter Asante Kotoko must do among many other things to beat Hearts of Oak in Sunday’s super clash at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium, it is the development of a flawless tactical plan to neutralize the venom in Hearts’ lethal striker, Mahatma Otoo.
There is no doubt that Mahatma remains not just Hearts powerhouse but the Glo Premier League’s most potent striker. It is worth acknowledging that the league so far has four top scorers – Ashantigold’s Mohammed Yakubu – 11 goals; Amidaus’ Yahaya Mohammed, Tema Youth’s Francis Narh and Liberty’s Kennedy Ashia who all have 10 goals.
Mahatma Otoo leads with 13 goals. For that reason any side preparing to engage Hearts of Oak must have an effective strategy to douse the raging fire in that striker. Scoring 13 goals in 22 matches may not be so impressive but given the struggles of Hearts this season coupled with the fact that the country as a whole lacks a good number of sharp attackers, Mahatma Otoo’s achievement remains admirable.
Last season, in the second round, Kotoko-Hearts epic duel in Kumasi, it was Mahatma Otoo who provided good reasons for Hearts fans to be joyous when his tenacious free-kick, with the speed of light, zoomed straight into the net to cancel Kotoko’s 1-0 lead.
Although Kotoko won the game 2-1 with Michael Akuffu’s magnificent late-minute strike goal, the momentary anguish that Mahatma’s equalizer brought to Kotoko fans at the stadium was enormous. Mahatma has been seen not just scoring similar goals this season but in fact scoring almost every week.
Kotoko are not going to play Mahatma Otoo so this should not be viewed as an expression of fear. It is rather an admission of the danger the striker could pose to Kotoko’s aim to win. This is therefore a call on Coach Dramani to build an impregnable defence and strategy that will overpower Mahatma Otoo and render the entire Hearts team spineless and ineffective.
By: Jerome Otchere