Experienced Ghanaian coach Joseph Edward Sarpong has offered advice to Black Stars goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, emphasizing the importance of communication with his defenders while in goal.
Ati-Zigi, who currently plays for St. Gallen, conceded two avoidable goals in Ghana’s 2-0 loss to Mexico at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday.
Ati-Zigi, who took over as the number one goalkeeper from Richard Ofori after the 2022 World Cup, has faced criticism for his performances, and there have been calls to bench him in the upcoming game against the United States of America on Wednesday.
Coach Joseph Edward Sarpong came to Ati-Zigi’s defense during an interview on an Accra-based radio station, Happy FM and encouraged him to be more vocal on the field.
“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,” Sarpong stated.
“The defensive pairing of Amartey and Djiku wasn’t there, and that could also be part of the problem. 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.”