Ouattara’s Hearts of Oak blowing hot and cold: Unraveling the rollercoaster season of Hearts of Oak

Hearts of Oak began the 2023/24 Ghana Premier League season with high expectations following the appointment of Martin Koopman as their new head coach.

However, a series of losses under the Dutchman’s tenure, which saw the Phobians score just once in their first five games, led to his eventual sacking.

The arrival of Ivorian tactician Aboubakar Ouattara for the second half of the season brought a wave of optimism to the Accra-based club.

Under Ouattara’s guidance, Hearts of Oak appeHearts of Oak began the 2023/24 Ghana Premier League season with high expectations following the appointment of Martin Koopman as their new head coach.ared to be on the path to redemption, as they managed to score three goals in a game for just the second time in the season during his first match in charge, much to the delight of the new coach and the fans who started to believe in the team’s pursuit of glory.

Unfortunately, Ouattara’s promising start seems to have faded into obscurity.

After avoiding defeat in five games and winning three of them, Hearts of Oak went on a three-game losing streak.

The Rainbow Club has now lost five of their last six games, and the initial optimism surrounding the team appears to have crumbled.

In the 28 games played this season, Hearts of Oak has scored just 27 goals, averaging a mere 0.96 goals per game, while amassing only 35 out of a possible 84 points.

Goalkeeping errors and strikers missing chances have been among the key reasons for the club’s disappointing situation.

A situation assistant coach Abdul Bashir agrees to.

“At the training grounds you see them scoring but in the game they can’t, we have to go back and do our corrections,” he said.

They currently find themselves in the 12th position, just four points above the relegation zone, with a record of eight wins, nine draws, and 11 losses – a performance that falls short of the standards expected from a club of Hearts of Oak’s stature.

Despite entering the season with high hopes and expectations, Hearts of Oak’s inconsistency has left them struggling to secure a place in the top 10.