Experienced Ghanaian coach Joseph Edward Sarpong has shared his advice with Black Stars goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, emphasizing the importance of effective communication with his defenders while guarding the goal.
Ati-Zigi, currently playing for St. Gallen, faced criticism for conceding two avoidable goals in Ghana's 2-0 loss to Mexico at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday. Amid calls to bench him in the upcoming game against the United States of America, Coach Joseph Edward Sarpong defended Ati-Zigi and encouraged him to be more vocal on the field.
Sarpong, during an interview on an Accra-based radio station, Happy FM, said, "Even if we had scored against Mexico, I would have asked for a change, but since we didn't score against Mexico, it will now depend on the goalkeeper's trainer to decide that."
He pointed out that the defensive partnership of Amartey and Djiku may have contributed to the issues and stressed the importance of communication. Sarpong added, "The new defensive pair wasn't up to the task. If you want to blame the goalkeeper, you should also blame the defense. Ati-Zigi must communicate when he is in goal because without communication, you will always concede."
