Former Hearts of Oak assistant coach Hamza Obeng has acknowledged that Ghanaian striker Daniel Afriyie Barnieh is currently experiencing a dip in form but remains confident that the player will soon regain his top form.
Barnieh, who led the Black Satellites to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, had an impressive season with Hearts of Oak in 2020/21, helping them secure the Ghana Premier League and FA Cup titles.
His outstanding performances also earned him a spot in the Ghana national team, the Black Stars, for the 2022 World Cup.
However, Barnieh's career took a sudden downturn after his move to FC Zurich in Switzerland, where he has struggled to secure regular playing time.
This setback has recently been compounded by criticism following the poor performance of the Black Meteors in the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which resulted in an early exit for the team.
In response to these concerns, Hamza Obeng, who played a key role in the Hearts of Oak technical team, acknowledged the decline in Barnieh's performance but reassured Ghanaians that they should anticipate a resurgence from the talented forward.
“Barnieh was not at his best in the game against Congo, which is why the coach substituted him. He was not involved in the game. Both he and Simba did not perform well” Obeng told Kumasi FM.
“There are coaches who could have still started Barnieh even after his underwhelming performance in the first game,” he added.