You have an opportunity to be like Pep Guardiola, Xabi Alonso – Otto Addo told

Alex Ackumey, CEO of Division One club New Edubiase United, has encouraged Black Stars coach Otto Addo to capitalize on the chance given him by the Ghana Football Association to forge a successful coaching career.

In a discussion with Romeo Oduro on his YouTube channel, Ackumey drew parallels between Otto Addo and Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xabi Alonso, who both seized early opportunities to build notable coaching careers.

He posited that Otto Addo has the potential to develop into a globally recognized tactical expert and urged Ghanaians to support him in his role.

"Kurt and the Executive Council members have a closer rapport with him and are more familiar with him than those of us who are distant. He requires our backing, and we should provide it. We'll all rejoice if the team prospers, so let's maintain a positive outlook. Pep Guardiola and Xabi Alonso were afforded chances at young ages, and they've excelled, so Otto Addo can emulate them. It's incumbent upon him and his team to live up to the expectations of those who appointed him," Ackumey stated.

Ackumey also believes that for Otto Addo to enhance his coaching credentials, he must refine his selection process and extend invitations solely to players who merit them.

He pointed out Addo's exclusion of Joseph Paintsil from Ghana's 2022 World Cup squad as a significant misstep and advised against repeating such decisions.

"The area where I think he erred was leaving out John Paintsil, which was a considerable oversight. He failed to provide a solid justification for not including him in the World Cup squad. Paintsil was in form and performing well at that time. However, that's in the past, and we should support him moving forward," Ackumey remarked.

Otto Addo was reappointed in March 2024 to a 34-month contract. His initial outings against Nigeria and Uganda resulted in a 2-1 loss and a 2-2 draw, respectively.



EK