Ati-Zigi, who plies his trade for Swiss team St Gallen, has been heavily criticized by Ghanaians in recent times, with a section of football fans labeling him as a poor goalkeeper.
But Atanga, a close friend of Ati-Zigi, insists he is not a bad goalkeeper. According to him, the Black Stars goalkeeper should not be judged based on statistics.
“Ati-Zigi has received a lot of criticism from some football fans. Many have labeled him a poor goalie. The truth is that Ati-Zigi is not a bad goalkeeper. He is no exception; Even the best goalkeepers in the world, including Manuel Neuer, have bad days and make mistakes from time to time,” he said in an Accra-based interview. Mothers FM.
“I will urge anyone who thinks he is not a good goalkeeper to keep an eye on him at his club and after watching him you can decide if he is good or bad. “We should not rely solely on statistics to judge it.”
“A goalkeeper may concede goals during the game but he will make many saves. We played together in Salzburg and he was on the verge of becoming an outfield player. Ati-Zigi is a very good goalkeeper, although there is a lot of pressure when he plays for Ghana. In our last two games against Mali and Central African Republic, our defenders underperformed and the goalkeeper was blamed.”
Ati-Zigi appears to have regained his number one spot under new coach Otto Addo, having spent the entire 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign on the bench under former coach Chris Hughton.
The St Gallen goalkeeper kept his place against Mali and the Central African Republic as the Black Stars recorded back-to-back wins to end their winless streak this year.
Ghana defeated Mali 2-1 in Bamako before returning to Kumasi for a 4-3 victory over the Central African Republic.
