Hearts of Oak head coach Aboubakar Ouattara has openly criticized his players following their uninspiring performance in a 2-0 defeat to Aduana Stars in an outstanding week 22 Ghana Premier League fixture.
The match, played at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park, saw Hearts struggle from start to finish, leaving their title ambitions in serious doubt.
The Phobians, who are historically one of Ghana's most successful clubs, were outplayed and outfought by a more determined Aduana side.
The loss sees the Phobians slip to 7th on the table with 41 points after 27 matches, trailing league leaders Gold Stars by nine points.
A visibly frustrated Ouattara did not hold back in his post-match remarks.
"We didn’t play football today. We gave them all the chances to score us. Since the first half, we didn’t play well, we played very badly, and we accept that today we are not good,” he lamented.
The coach further blamed a lack of effort and intensity from his players.
“We didn’t run… when you see the first goal, the second goal, the mistake we made, the corner and all, we didn’t run at all. I am not happy.”
Ouattara’s candid comments underline the urgent need for improvement if Hearts hope to revive their faltering campaign.