“He could even be worse than Adiyiah” – Charles Taylor sends career warning to ‘complacent’ Afriyie Barnieh

Charles Taylor, the former striker of Hearts of Oak, has offered advice to Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, urging him to make adjustments in order to avoid future setbacks in his career.

Taylor cautioned that the FC Zurich forward could suffer a similar fate to Dominic Adiyiah, a former Black Satellites player who experienced great success at the U-20 World Cup in 2009 but failed to fulfill his potential.

Barnieh, as captain, led the Black Satellites to victory in the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in 2021 and subsequently earned a call-up to the senior team for the 2022 World Cup. However, he has faced criticism for his recent performances, with the latest backlash following Ghana’s win against Congo in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“He has lost focus on the field. If he doesn’t get a good psychologist to psych him well he would even be worse than what we are seeing. You can just compare his previous performances to now, he could even be worse than Adiyiah,” Taylor told Angel TV.

Taylor further highlighted that Barnieh’s situation is concerning, noting his limited playing time since joining FC Zurich. He emphasized the need for Barnieh to focus on his future and avoid dwelling on past accomplishments.

“Adiyiah’s situation is even better. How many matches has Afriyie Barnieh managed to play since he switched to FC Zurich? Let’s ask ourselves, what happened to him when he got to Zurich. He needs to be advised on focusing on moving forward and stop living on past glories. He is now starting which is why he needs to do more,” he added.

During the U-23 AFCON match against Congo, the 22-year-old forward was substituted at halftime and replaced by Emmanuel Yeboah, who played a crucial role in all three goals as Ghana secured a 3-2 victory.