'I will not blame any player for our defeat against Kotoko' - Aboubakar Ouattara

Hearts of Oak suffered a very painful defeat against their eternal rivals Asante Kotoko over the weekend and coach Aboubakar Ouattara feels they have to take full responsibility rather than lashing out blames on certain players.

The 'Phobians' entered into the first Super-Clash of the 2024/25 season with so much motivation on the premise of their previous performances but sadly lost 1-0 after conceding at the death of the game.

The game was really a very difficult one for the travelling side who on the day had their defense worked so hard to keep them alive but a late huge clanger at the back fell kindly for Kotoko's Albert Amoah who made no mistake to slot home and snatch all three points for the Porcupine Warriors in the end.

Speaking on AFA Sports channel after the game, the experienced Ivorian gaffer didn't look happy with the outcome of the game but feels scolding his players or issuing blames in this situation will not do them any good as they look to return to the drawing board to right all wrongs before their next game.

"I don't want to blame any player but when you are Big and go to the supermarket, don't bring any small attackers and that is the problem."

Hearts of Oak will host Berekum Chelsea in the capital, Accra, in GPL match-day 14.