The difficulties at Asante Kotoko, in the opinion of head coach Maxwell Konadu of Nsoatreman, go beyond simple coaching issues.

Midweek misery continued for the Porcupine Warriors as they were defeated 2-1 by Konadu’s team at Baba Yara Stadium on Thursday.

After the loss, Kotoko is now ranked tenth. In their last six Ghana Premier League games, they have suffered five losses and one draw.

Strong criticism has been directed towards Prosper Narteh Ogum and his technical team, but Konadu claims that the problems go beyond their capabilities.

“I don’t believe it is a coaching issue. When the players play, it is clear that they are afraid,” said Konadu in an interview with Akoma FM.

“The demands placed on the players appear to put them under additional strain. They lack the character required to play as a Kotoko player, which I believe is their issue.”

Konadu, who won the league championship with the Porcupine Warriors, claims that even though the current group of players has the necessary skills to play for the team, they are not able to perform well under duress.

He has urged supporters to rally around the team so they can get through their current struggles.

“This is the critical moment for the players to have the support of the media and fans. Much pressure from these stakeholders will not help matters,” he continued.

“Instead, fans should support the technical team and playing body in order to turn things around. The players are not bad; none of them will be benchwarmers at any GPL club, but they appear to panic when playing.

“The players are not bad. None of them will be benchwarmers at any GPL club, but they appear to panic when playing.”

The Reds face another daunting task in the coming weeks as they play Dreams FC, Samartex and Medeama in their next three games in the league.