Kwadwo Asamoah, popularly known as “KASA” is the most gifted player possessed by the Ghana Black Stars since the days of the legendary Abedi Ayew Pele. However, his development as a playmaker has been impeded by coaches using him at the left full back position.
Currently, who is Ghana black Stars playmaker?
Coach Akwasi Appiah should unleash the full arsenal of this gifted player at the playmaker’s role, right behind the two strikers. Ghana Black Stars will benefit substantially, if KASA is deployed as a playmaker and right behind Asamoah Gyan and Warris or Asamoah Gyan and Kevin Prince Boateng.
Kwadwo Asamoah is blessed with immense dribbling ability, defensive, visionary passing, and long distance shooting as well as scoring ability around the eighteen yard box. Anytime he has been used as a playmaker, he has delivered.
Most Black Stars fans know that Derek Boateng is the player most people thought will replace Stephen Appiah as Ghana’s playmaker. However, European coaches turned him into a defensive midfielder.
The emergence of Kwadwo Asamoah signaled a refreshing replacement for Stephen Appiah. But our coaches continue to misuse this incredible talent.
KASA’s offensive ability to create goals through dribbling, passing, and pushing into the eighteen box to be foul like Zambian’s did in Gabon 2012 during the African Cup Semi Finals should not be impeded.
He announced his Black Stars playmaking ability by helping Ghana defeat Mali in Mali during a crucial 2010 World Cup qualifying game and scoring a great long distance goal. He replicated his scoring ability in Kumasi against Zambia in a crucial 2014 World Cup qualifying game.
In the 2010 African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola, he was a playmaker supreme with an amazing pass to Asamoah Gyan resulting in a goal which ultimately eliminated the host Angola in the quarter-finals.
The Black Stars of Ghana are not going to benefit from the immense football skills set and capabilities of Kwadwo Asamoah such as passing, dribbling, shooting, and scoring abilities if Coach Appiah plays him in defense. It is a waste of talent!!
Kwadwo Asamoah could be the biggest star at this World Cup in Brazil if Coach Appiah utilizes him as Ghana’s playmaker supreme. The Ghana midfield currently lacks a visionary passer who is capable of sending defense splitting passes through the opponents half.
He has shown over and over that he is dangerous when he is in the opponents’ eighteen yard box or around the box. Kwadwo Asamoah should not be removed far away from the opponents’ eighteen yard box by playing him as a left back. It is like playing Zidane, Ronaldinho and Xavi in defense!!
The current Ghana set-up lacks a playmaker in the mold of Stephen Appiah or Aboagye (U-20 fame). Sulley Muntari still has some creativity in him, but his passing is limited to aimless long ball passing. He also lacks the pace to recover the ball when he offers the ball to the opponents.
Sulley has the tendency to make too many erroneous passes in the midfield. He should play as a back-up to Kwadwo Asamoah in the playmaking role. In fact, I rather see the aging Muntari as a left-back instead of the energetic and talented Kwadwo Asamoah.
Kwadwo Asamoah is an immense football talent and Coach Appiah should give him the freedom to express that on the biggest stage of the game by allowing him to be the creative engine of the midfield, attacking opposing defense through dribbling, passing, shooting and scoring goals to bring the World Cup to Ghana.
It will be an error of enormous proportion if Coach Appiah inhibits this amazingly talented player, by playing him on defense.
Kwadwo Asamoah’s greatest contribution to Ghana’s success in this World Cup in Brazil will come from the playmaking position and not deploying him passively at the left back position; a move like that signals passiveness, surrender and a defeatist tactics from the technical team.
My ideal line-up: 1. Adam Kwarasey 2. Daniel Opare 3. Harrison Afful 4. Jonathan Mensah 5. John Boye 6. Afriyie Acquah 7. Abdul Majeed Warris 8. Mohammed Rabui 9. Asamoah Gyan 10. Kwadwo Asamoah 11. Andre Dede Ayew.
In this line-up, Coach Appiah can play 4-2-3-1 which switches to 4-4-2 depending on the situation. Playing Afriyie Acquah and Mohammed Rabui behind the playmaker Kwadwo Asamoah with Warris and Dede Ayew on the wings and Asamoah Gyan leading the striking position will be a potent line up.
I am praying that Coach Appiah do not start Fatau Dauda, Samuel Inkoom and Albert Adomah!!
P.S: Any reproduction, reprinting, publication and dissemination of this article without written consent of the writer are grounds for legal action.
To ask for consent for reproduction or comments on the article, please e-mail: Sankofa91@yahoo.com.
