How They
Performed Against Togo
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
 Sunday
Seah-The talented goalkeeper was outstanding. He had a
good day by preventing the Togolese side from scoring obvious
chances. Although the Lone Star always came under pressure from
their opponents. By his catches, Sunday reminded the Togolese that
there was someone in goal. Throughout the match Sunday was not
frightened in any form.Rating: 8/10
 Eisaiah
Benson-Another great day was seen from the young
right-full back. With the Liberian midfield not really at its best,
Benson was always the medium through which the Lone Star attacked
the Togolese. That is, when he got the ball, he overlapped well
until he connected one of the three strikers. The performance of
Benson is such an unusual thing for a player who is not currently
playing actively. With news that he is heading for Indonesia,
Liberians hope to see more great displays in the years to come.Rating:
8/10
 George
Gebro-For the second home match running, Gebro did not
show Liberians what he is known to be. His passes were very faulty.
Had there been a possible replacement, Coach Kadallah Kromah would
have removed him in the first half. The Greek based player was
always fumbling on the ball. In fact, when the opponents detected
his disability, they decided to launch their attacks from the left
flanks. Gebro really needs to improve his current form or else he
risks losing his tag as one of the Lone Star's outstanding players.
Rating: 6/10
 Varmah
Kpoto-The central defender was not at his best. His
tacking was not good for the game plan. Thus, his partner Fallah
Johnson was like playing a two-man role. Many believe Kpoto was
having a psychological problem. It has been observed that the only
way out for Kpoto would be for him to move abroad to restart his
career if not, the central defense should not be entrusted to him.Rating:
6/10
 Fallah
Johnson-The veteran defender was not called by Coach
Kromah, but he braved the storm by showing up in Monrovia from
Indonesia. At the end of the day, Fallah was the real reason why the
Lone Star was not beaten by Togo on Sunday. With George Gebro and
Varmah Kpoto not at their best, Fallah was always an obstacle to
Togo. He won the ball in the air and on the ground. He proved that
the decision by fans to prevail on Kadallah Kromah to feature him
was not a fluke. With such display, it is highly expected that
Fallah will be a regularly man in the Liberian squad.
Rating: 9/10
 Ben
Teekloh-The Obuasi Goldfields midfielder fought in vain
against the Togolese. He could not take control of a sparkling
Togolese midfield. Even though he did well in dislodging some
attempts, the opponents were always in good possession of the ball.
Probably, during the next match, Teekloh should pair with a better
roving midfielder than John Menyongar, whose height was always a
problem for Liberia. Rating: 7/10
 Anthony
Langford-Another midfielder from Obuasi Godfields in
Ghana's Premier League, Langford did his best against Togo. The
result was not good for Liberia this time around, but Langford has
no questions to answer. The rising star had to give way to a more
senior John Menyongar in central mdfield. Notwithstading, Langford
operated from the right flank. From there, he always created scoring
chances for Francis Grand Pa Doe and the rest of the attack.
Langford's height would have helped the Lone Star if he was placed
in central midfield but his new role against Togo is sufficient
reason why the Togolese dominated the middle of the pitch.
Rating: 8/10
 John
Menyongar-The former Mighty Barrolle man is scoring goals
and hitting the headlines in the United States, but entrusting him
with the Liberian midfielder turned out to be a failure. He has
always been a household name in local soccer, but it was observed
that little John didn't combine well with Ben Teekloh. Menyongar's
height was a problem for the Lone Star. As the Lone Star was
constantly playing the ball in the air, so were the Togolese making
use of Menyongar's shortness by winning the ball from up. Menyongar
may be an asset, so the coach should reason in giving him another
role and try other than that of a roving midfielder. Meanwhile,
Menyongar irritated the fans more when he had a chance in the
Togolese's box but chose to dive. Rating:
7/10
 Francis
Grand Pa Doe-With this rising talent, Dioh Williams was
not missed at all. The only difference was that Liberia did not win.
Grand Pa turned out to be everyone's man of
the match. He did prove that he is asset to the national
team now. Grand Pa only needs to improve his scoring ability if he
wants a constant call from the technical staff. This is because
there were few real chances that he failed to make use of. However,
Grand Pa dribbled well and took threatening shots that went directly
to the Togolese goalkeeper. Rating: 9/10
 James
Salinsa Debbah-Indeed the Celebrated Star is one of
Liberia's greatest players, but the fact that he is around
thirty-seven years suggests his lack of form. Whatever caused Debbah
to be selected should not be repeated. This is because he played one
of his worst matches for the Lone Star. His form did not resemble
someone that wore the captain's arm band. Debbah's failure to leave
the pitch when Isaac Tondo was about to substitute him was very ugly
for a player of his status. He also broke the hearts of his
compatriots by filling to make use of the Lone Star's best chance in
the first half. Rating: 5/10
 Jonah
Sarwieh-The huge striker was another failure on Sunday.
Ahead of the match, Jonah's inclusion was welcomed by many
Liberians, but when the time came to deliver, he was a mess. All he
did was to bring the ball backward whenever he received it instead
of moving forward. He even failed to head in a fine cross from
Debbah in the first half. In order to make a return to the national
team, Jonah must work like hell and convince all Liberians to the
fullest. If not, the match with Togo will be his last.
Rating:4/10
Takpo Sonkarliey-The local
midfielder did what he could for the Lone Star having replaced Jonah
Sarwieh. At the time he joined the match, the damage was already
done. Yet Takpo did some of his tricks. Probably he needed to be
given more time than that.
Rating: 7/10
Isaac Tondo: The brilliant
striker posed very few threats to Togo after James Salinsa chose to
leave the pitch. Tondo was really seen as the man who could make the
difference, but his entry was delayed by Debbah's terrible attitude.
Rating: 7/10
Alvin Kieh-The former Black Star
striker succeeded Francis Grand Pa Doe. With all the controversies
surrounding his selection, little was expected from him. Kieh did
some runnings but that was all he had to offer. Or maybe the time
was short for him to deliver the goods.
Rating 7/10
Kadallah Kromah-The fate of the
Lone Star's head coach has become talk of Monrovia. He is being
blamed for the team's lack of attractive football. He played 4-3-3
and the decision seemed good, but not everyone was ready to make the
difference. He blames the team's failure on the government which
Kromah has accused of not paying the players well. Kromah also
speaks of empowering the technical staff with access to traveling to
see the performance of foreign-based players. However, one weakness
on the part of Kromah is his ability to make decisions to and stand
by them. Kromah should also make sure that players from overseas
should actually be with a club and as well be in good form before
picking such person for the national team. Is he really sure that
James Debbah and Jonah Sarwieh are playing in Bahrain? If the duo is
indeed playing in Bahrain, why couldn't the duo afford a pair of
boots each? It was very frustrating for Jonah Sarwieh to send a boy
to sew an old boots, while Debbah borrowed a white adidas boot from
Sunday Seah and a blue nike boot from Francis Grand Pa Doe on the
day of the match.
|
Please Click our Sponsors
Links to support the site
|
