Poor Tactics Cost Lone Star

        Nat Sherman goes up for a ball during the match in Senegal

By Wleh Bedell
bedellblessing@yahoo.com
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Monrovia-The Lone Star of Liberia 3-1 loss to the Teranga Lions of Senegal was the team’s nineteenth competitive away loss in sequence. Since the red, white and blue outfit then during the George Weah led generation pinned Sierra Leone’s Leone Star 1-0 courtesy of a Weah’s booming header on September 21, 2001, the Lone Star in the post Weah ear has now played nineteen competitive away matches, losing all, conceding 54 goals and scoring just nine ranging from September 8, 2002 in the 3-0 away loss to the Sylli Nationale of Guinea in a 2004 AFCON qualifier to last Saturday’s, June 2, demolition of the Senegalese.

It has become glaring that this is not just an individual assessment of the coach, but almost everyone who follows the Lone Star and this will in no way be seen as a War against the newly appointed coach. Even those who were in ecstasy upon Kaytu’s appointment are frowning at his tactical flaws after just his first competitive match. No need to go all the way, but just to add up for the sake of the record.

For the match with Senegal, the Lone Star took a stunning lead through Malaysian club Terangganu hit-man Francis ‘Grand Pa’ Doe who put his side noses in front as early as the 2nd minute, but despite a penalty miss from the inform Papiss Demba Cisse, the hosts still wrapped the maximum three points courtesy of goals from CA Osasuna 23 year old attacking ace, Ibrahima Balde in the 32nd minute, FC Copenhagen 27 year old danger man Dame Ndoye and an 83 minute easy tap in from the 20 year old Metz midfielder Sadio Mane which has condemned the Lone Star to last place in the group as the other two group contenders in Angola’s Palancas Negras and the Cranes of Uganda played to a grueling 1-1 draw in the former’s back yard as the Brazil 2014 qualifier rages on.

Questionable Tactics
It was quite astonishing that hand picked coach Joseph Kaytu Smith implored a more positive tactic as he implored a 4-4-2 where he ordered his charges to go on the front foot in a difficult hunting ground at the Stade Leopald Sengor in Dakar where the Lone Star had conceded 12 goals in its last three matches prior to the June 2, debacle. And, while the team got the stunning lead after Doe profited from a defending losing his footing, Kaytu was still adventurous as he failed to park the bus by being negative in a 4-2-3-1 formation or a 4-4-1-1 formation or even a 4-5-1 formation where the middle of the park would have being clustered with more bodies behind the ball as they would have played a cagey or cautious game.

With the waiting game, the Lone Star would have caught the opponents who were hungry for the equalizer on a brutal counter attacking game that would have caused menace. But, with such positive tactic, the former United States based female players Coach opted to disrespect the Senegalese who used their Olympic team in preparation for the Londo 2012 Olympics which begins in July.

Poor Substitutions
As the match progressed; the towering Patrick Wleh who was not in sparkling form got injured and was surprisingly replaced by a seemingly weaker worker in the diminutive Zah Krangar. Taking into Cognizance that the game required harder workers, the man from the United States got it wrong as he should have gone for another hardworking player probably Teah Dennis, Solomon Wesseh or James Zortiah as a means of stifling the middle of the park in being more negative. The Indonesian based Zah was more of a help to the team offensively than defensively as the Senegalese dominated possession after neutralizing the midfield with the duo of Alseny Keita and Theo Lewis Weeks over working and ran out of steam.

Also, with a disappointing Solomon Grimes red carded, the Lone Star coach woefully substituted Captain Anthony Laffor who though was not in a vintage form as that of Francis Doe, but was good in tracking back with his recovery runs useful as he was always in the defensive third to help out the full back. In fact, the coach did not react quickly as he did not seem to have the tactical genius from the dugout. Dame Ndoye’s goal notably came as a result of goalkeeper Sherman making a howler of it, the inability of the wide man to track back in joining his wing partner put pressure on the player in possession was something lacking after the exit of Laffor.

Misplacing or Wrong pairing
From all indication the duo of Jimmy Dixon and Patrick Gerhardt are of similar qualities as they play on top each other. They are players who are intelligent and are mainly involved in picking up the crumbs order than having much aggression. Besides, the newly appointed coach misplaced the team’s leading scorer Dioh Williams who is not the gritty of players in fighting for the ball as well as tracking back by covering more grounds when his side is on the front foot. He is more a technically gifted player who is mostly menacing as a front man. But, to use him as a lateral midfielder made him to switch off as he over worked in an unfamiliar role, something that brings to question the coach’s tactical prowess.

So-Called Beautiful Football
It was quite comical to hear that after the match the Coach (Kaytu Smith) said his side did not play negative football, but that they attacked, created chances and played “beautiful football”. What did his so-called beautiful football gave him? He returned home empty handed. Did the result not mattered? Besides, how many times did his full backs venture forward in providing crosses, what width was in the game? What was the penetration and how can he claim “beautiful football” when his side rarely made five passes in succession. Anyway, the Senegalese in an unconvincing fashion and the coach is just there to justify his tactical wobble.