The Scientific Soccer Lads have been also-runs ever since they were promoted into the Ghanaian topflight in 1997. And after flirting with relegation in recent times, Liberty Professionals is headed for a new direction this season.
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Liberty Professionals captain discusses preparations and targets for the season
The 2016/17 Ghana Premier League (GPL) season will kickstart over the weekend and Pulse Sports caught up with Liberty Professionals captain Samuel Sarfo.
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Many changes have hit the hierarchy of the club, with the view of transforming the side and making it one of the most marketable brands in Ghana. A partnership with local kit manufacturers Mayniak Sports Wear has set the tone for what should be a year of prospect for the Dansoman-based club.
Having started their pre-season preparations for over a month now, Liberty Professionals now looks set for a fruitful 2016/17 season.
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Captain of the side, Samuel Sarfo opines the team has had a better pre-season this year as compared to last term. And he sees no reason why they can’t make an impact in the league.
“I can say that preparations have been good,” a confident Sarfo articulates. “Because if you look at the man leading us, that is coach Sellas Tetteh, he is one of the best coaches in the country.
“Currently he is our head coach and we are all behind him. So I must say that every thing is in order for us to make an impact in the league.”
The Dansoman-based club were underwhelming last season. After a bright start to the season which saw them finish fifth at the end of the first round, the team’s fortunes continued to falter until they survived relegation on the last day on the season.
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Their captain is aware of the pressure the side faced when they went into such a relegation dog-fight. And he insists the club is keen to start this season on a winning note in order to avoid a repeat of last season's trauma.
However, standing in their way is 23-time league champions Asante Kotoko. Liberty Professionals will face the Porcupine Warriors on Sunday in the league opener at the Baba Yara Sports stadium and, their captain is aware of the task that awaits.
The Porcupine Warriors hold the bragging rights having beaten Liberty home and away last season.
But Sarfo insists the story will be different when both sides meet over the weekend.
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“They have a good team, but we also have an equally good team,” the captain said optimistically.
“So the results can only be determined when we meet on the field. They have good players, though, but I also believe in my team-mates. Last season they beat us home and away so we hope to change the history this season.”
A lot has changed at the club since they last played Kotoko. Last season when Liberty lost to the Porcupine Warriors it was George Lamptey who was in charge of the Dansoman-based club.
However, this time a more experienced head will lead the side out when the season begins. Sellas Tetteh has been appointed to steer the club to the next level. The aforementioned coach is well-traveled and has been known for his successes at youth level.
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Tetteh was the man in charge when Ghana became Africa’s first – and so far only – country to win the World Cup at Under 20 level.
Sarfo has fond memories of his current and erstwhile coaches and admits they both have similar man-management skills.
“Having Sellas Tetteh, one of the best coaches in the country, and he being the head coach I think for now Liberty is moving in the right direction and will make an impact in the 2016/17 league season,” the captain says, adding that “Coach Sellas Tetteh and George Lamptey have actually worked before and their styles are not too different.
“That was in the 2011/12 season and I was part of the team at that time. Both coaches worked so well. Coach George Lamptey is no more, but the feeling is the same.
“You know Liberty is a family so the moment you join, we welcome you so well and we get going. So the feeling is the same.”
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Having brought in one of the most experienced coaches in the country, the club is now looking to break into the top half of the table and possibly win some trophies. But Sarfo maintains that the targets of the Dansoman-based club are still modest, with an eye on finishing in the top four.
“This season we want to finish both the first and second rounds on a good note. So at least we want to be in the top 4.”
A top four finish is the target but that won’t come easy. Especially after the club was milked of some of its most impressive players. Liberty Professionals’ best player and top scorer for last season, Latif Blessing has left to join Major League Soccer(MLS) side Sporting Kansas City.
That, coupled with the fact that right-back Anthony Nimo also joined regional rivals Hearts of Oak means that Liberty Professionals will be without some of their best players when the season starts.
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Captain Sarfo is, however, defiant citing the club’s impressive record of producing talented youth players as a clinger of hope. He maintains that although the club “will miss” such quality players, they have the capacity to replace all outgone players.
“This is Liberty for you. When you look at the best academies in the world, we are part of the first 20. That should tell you that we nurture quality players so this year, believe you me, another talent will pop up.
“It has always been like this in the history of Liberty Professionals [losing players in each transfer window]. All the time we produce the best players in the country [and they leave but we are able to replace them].
“If we want to go generation by generation, we had Sulley Muntari, Derrick Boateng and Michael Essien who all left. Then we had the likes of Rabiu Mohammed and Kwadwo Asamoah who also left. Then it came to Richard [Kissi] Boateng, Muntari’s brother [Muniru Sulley], Joe Mensah, Ebenezer Assifuah, Kennedy Ashia and now Latif Blessing have all passed through and gone, [yet the club is still standing].
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“So all I can say is that you will see another talent this season coming from Liberty.”
Sarfo has so much trust in the club’s academy. But it is not just because he is the captain of the side; Sarfo himself is a product of the famous Liberty academy. He has been one of the most loyal players and is currently in his sixth year with the club, having risen through the ranks. As captain, he wants to leave a legacy behind when he finally departs.
And though he has just one year left on his contract, he remains committed to the club. Sarfo admits he has received offers from clubs – both local and abroad – but he is not in a hurry to leave the Dansoman-based club.
“Liberty Football Club is like a family. And I was fortunate to be nurtured through the academy of the club right to the senior side, so I have gone through many coaches.
“And the experience has been great working with all the past coaches. I still have one year left on my contract, but I am not in a hurry to leave this club. Some clubs have approached me, though, but I’m waiting for the right time to move.
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“When it’s time for me to move, the club will decide what is best for both parties.”
Does Samuel Sarfo see himself playing for any other Ghanaian club apart from Liberty Professionals?
The captain - in smiles - insists he "does not know, but anything can happen".
Samuel Sarfo was speaking in an exclusive interview with Pulse Sports’ Emmanuel Ayamga.
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