Former Hearts of Oak Coach on Afriyie Barnieh Poor Form : Former Hearts of Oak assistant coach Hamza Obeng believes Daniel Afriyie Barnieh has currently lost form and has backed the attacker to rediscover his usual top form.

“Barnieh was a mere passenger in the game against Congo and that is why the coach took him off. He was not part of the game. He and Simba did not do well.” , Hamza Obeng told Kumasi FM.

“It is true that he has lost his sharpness. He is not getting playing time at his club and we all can see it has affected him. This is not the Barnieh that I know. This is what happens when you don’t play for your team because you will lack match fitness”

The Black Meteors recorded a 3-2 win against Congo in their 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations opener on Sunday before Ibrahim Tanko’s team were humiliated by host team Morocco as the North Africans imposed an emphatic 5-1 defeat against the Ghana Olympic football team on Tuesday.

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Captain of the Ghana U23 team , Afriyie Barnieh started the Congo game but was a second half substitute for the Morocco encounter and Obeng believes a different coach could have still kept the FC Zurich winger in his starting line-up.

“There are some coaches who could have still started Barnieh despite the fact that he flopped in the first game.

Emmanuel Yeboah did well as a substitute scoring two goals but a different coach could have still started Yeboah from the bench against Morocco but Tanko is the coach and he decides ” , the former assistant coach to Samuel Boadu at Hearts of Oak added.

Ghana take on Guinea on Friday for their last group match and they must win in order to qualify to the next round of the competition.