Week 26 of this season’s Ghana Premier League saw Accra Hearts of Oak moving onto the summit of the pile, having secured a win on Friday against Eleven Wonders.

With Kotoko drawing in the match week, the Phobians are level on points with their rivals but are on top of the table as a result of goal difference.

In our highlights for the week, we take a look at both coaches leading the charge for the Ghana Premier League glory this season.

Barreto needs to do less talking 

Kumasi Asante Kotoko had an unpleasant weekend in the Ghana Premier League, losing two valuable points against WAFA and surrendering their first place spot to arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak.

As has been the theme for most of the season, the Porcupine Warriors were unable to hold on to their lead or extend it to secure three crucial points.

But their performance is not dominating the headlines yet, as their head coach Mariano Barreto has taken center stage.

The Portuguese trainer has been in the news for his pre and post comments since his arrival at the club, and the situation was no different after the weekend’s game.

Following their draw against WAFA, the head coach blamed his side for conceding a “nonsense” goal, criticizing his players publicly in the fashion of fellow country man Jose Mourinho.

Barreto was far from happy with the goal conceded and was even more uncomfortable with his players conceding a goal that had been worked on several times in training.

Preceding Saturday’s comments has been other criticisms of their opponents, and the Football Association President.

The Portuguese recently accused Liberty Professionals of not respecting his side after they reportedly denied Kotoko the opportunity to train at their grounds before their 1-1 game.

Most notably, Barreto also made an unfortunate comment when his side played against Dreams FC, labelling their opponents as the President’s team.

It may be a strategy that works for him, but it does bring no joy to most Kotoko fans especially when he is struggling to get the best out of his team after several experiments.

Kotoko’s head coach has left the country to Portugal and if he does return from his trip, he will be expected to do less talking, get the Porcupines over the finish line and not dominate the headlines with his controversies.

Can Hearts do it this time? 

Accra Hearts of Oak have been sending out warning signals over the past couple of weeks over their intention to be crowned champions this season, but the signal sent over the weekend might well be the loudest yet.

The Phobians are on the hunt for their first Premier League trophy since 2009, and are gradually gathering momentum to achieve that significant and historic feat.

Their ambitions has been given a big boost since the arrival of former Medeama coach Samuel Boadu who has found a good balance in the team.

Samuel Boadu could lead Hearts to their first Premier League trophy since 2009

Although, there are not blowing teams away with huge margin of goals, they are holding on to their slim leads and securing crucial points.

The Phobians are currently on a four game winning run and with the likes of Kumasi Asante Kotoko failing to convert their draws into wins, they can employ the same tactic of “score and protect” to get them over the finish line.

What’s next? 

Both Kotoko and Hearts face a difficult test in week 27, as the race gets even more intense.

The Phobians will have to go past Berekum Chelsea on Sunday to consolidate their position at the top, while Kumasi Asante Kotoko will play away from home and hope to secure all three points against Aduana Stars.