Football
fans who made it to the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday were
served a night of good football and for Kotoko fans, a nervous
match with a happy ending, but to Technical Advisor to the
Executive Chairman, Malik Jabir, Kotoko displayed a “class-act”.
Speaking to Kotoko Express after the tension
packed match, he expressed his elation at the determination of
the players for their wonderful display in a match which was
indeed a difficult one.
“The equalizer threw the
game open as Aduana also pilled pressure on us. I therefore
wished from that period on that we had the needed luck to scale
through as qualification was becoming difficult for us by the
minute”.
Besides,
Kotoko missed some easy chances that could have killed all the
tension that they went through if the players had taken their
time and communicated well in the first half.
“The
difference between the chances we wasted and the goals we missed
was nothing but communication. The players upfront refused to
communicate well their intentions and this cost us the many
chances we missed”.
To him, he
had a feeling from the start of the match that it was not going
to be an easy one since “there was no way Aduana Stars would
stand aloof and be beaten for the second consecutive time”.
“Besides,
the match was a knock-out and knowing how experienced Hebert
Addo is, I knew very well the approach and mentality for this
match was going to be completely different from the league match
we played not too long ago,” he said.
Aduana’s
preparation not withstanding, the Porcupine Warriors prevailed
and this Malik attributed to a lot of factors.
“First, you
could see that our players understood the stakes of the match
and the fact that the only way they could play in a continental
competition was to win and this they worked hard to achieve”.
“The other
factor is that, the new wind of camaraderie and working in the
spirit of trust for one another has really awakened the fighting
spirits in the players. Now they see themselves not as
individuals but important inputs in the success combination of
the club. They are therefore ready to work for one another and
stand up for the other in the face of difficulties”.
“The way the
players inspired themselves when one of them was going to take
the penalty kick was all the team needed to win. I am happy that
we now have a team of players who are willing and ready to not
only listen, but put into practice the pieces of advices and
instructions we hand out to them”.
He says the
technical team has taken note of some points during the match
and was sure they would meet to discuss and correct them before
Sunday’s derby with King Faisal at the Baba Yara Stadium.
On the whole, the team’s
performance was a class-act and I commend all members of Team
Kotoko for a work well delivered,” he concluded.
With his
interview done with, he took time to assess the performance of
the players and we produce here for your readership.
Isaac
Amoako: On this day he had a difficult time dealing with the
crosses of Aduana Stars and his misjudgment brought the second
goal. He appeared jittery through out the match. Will need to
stay calm in such high stakes match.
Yaw
Frimpong: Despite the fact that he had fantastic runs and was
attack minded on many occasions, he allowed his marker to take
balls behind him. This made it difficult for him to recover
well. He was a good attacker, but not so impressive when in
defending. This made the Aduana player at his side of the field
look good with some dangerous crosses and attacks.
Prince
Anokye: He had a quite afternoon as he kept his lines clear and
was supportive of the central defense pair. He however could not
do more attacking thereby giving the Aduana right back to move
forward to join their midfield.
John
Kufuour: Was as strong as always in the air, but his tackles on
the ground though came in handy on some occasions, still lack a
bit of timing. He keeps regaining confidence match after match.
Awal
Mohamed: Played a good game but will have to watch his movements
well as he some times displayed acts of indecision and those
could be dangerous. Needs to take command of the defense when in
a match.
Frank Boateng:
He keeps improving and
to me was the best tackler in midfield. However, his shortfall
in the match had to do with awful passing and too much handing
onto that ball. He will be a superb player if he will release
his ball early and watch the positioning of his colleagues
before making a pass to them.
Daniel Nii
Adjei: Undoubtedly the most improved player in the team for now.
He was effective and did a lot of attack on opponent. He also
did positioned himself well for chances of getting shots at
goal. With good passing and confidence on the ball as an asset,
he will be a better player in the heart of midfield.
Michael
Akuffu: He played well and did a lot of shadow marking to close
the spaces of Aduana. His surges upfront were nice to see but
his habit of playing behind his opponents robbed him of chances
to shoot at goal.
Alex
Asamoah: He needs to take his time when playing because what I
see of him is a player in too much hurry without care to his
shooting and passing. He always wants to do things quicker than
the opponent with sometime even taking opponents positioning
into consideration. Was wasteful and erratic.
Ahmed Toure:
He was a fighter and was able to hold on to the ball thereby
giving defenders torrid times. Interestingly, he is to slow in
releasing balls and this sometimes gave room for opponents to
recover when the team is on attack. He will be more effective
when he release that ball early but not without surveying his
colleagues first.
Fatawu
Mohamed: He was very effective and did a lot of running and
tackles. To me, he would be an effective rover and it would be
then that we can get the best out of him.
Stephen
Oduro: He comes into a match with his own clout and pedigree and
this helped in one way or the other providing some stability for
us. He was however bullied and this made him to play with too
much caution.
Nafiu
Idrissu: Helped in the attack well. He did not have too much
time to warm into the game.
