Hindsight: Kotoko’s SOS call to Kwame Opoku
When Kwame Opoku’s return to Asante Kotoko was announced, few could have predicted that he would hit the ground running.
Apart from the eternal optimist of Kotoko fans, everyone else looked on, not with disapproval, but with concern.
And for good reason.
Kotoko’s line up against Accelere8z FC on Sunday
Since leaving for USM Algiers, the striker has struggled for form and game time. His most active season was in 2021/22 season when he made thirty-four appearances. Opoku’s goal returns were not as impressive as he made twelve goal contributions; six goals and six assists.
A loan move to Saudi second-division side S.C. Najran proved disastrous as he made just two appearances.
By January 2023, Kwame Opoku found himself at Olympique Khourigba after the unsuccessful Algiers spell. Things took a turn for the worse as he played just six games and scored no goal.
His last competitive game in the Maghreb region was in July 2023.
For the next eighteen months, Opoku slid into the obscurity of football wilderness; shut out from first-team football and dangerously withering away into nothingness. Like a sneeze in a sand storm.
So, the decision to sign him, especially midway through the season, was a massive gamble.
However, three games into his second stint at Kotoko, ‘Bayie’ is restoring his credibility, one game at a time.
Against Bibiani Gold Stars he gravitated towards the ball even before the pass was made to him in a manner only akin to archetypal fox in the box. Once he pounced on it, there was only one outcome.
In that move, he reminded everyone that he still has it; presence of mind, anticipation, special awareness, and the finishing.
Opoku in an aerial tussle with Medeama captain Kofi Asmah when the two sides met last week
His second goal came against Medeama S.C. at the reconstructed T & A Stadium. Just like the one that came before, nothing was surprising about out; quick movements to peel off his marker just in time to meet the cross with a glancing header.
On Sunday, he converted from the spot against Acceler8z FC as the Porcupine Warriors progressed to the round of 16 in the MTN FA Cup match against Acceler8z FC.
Of course, there are still a few kinks to be ironed out before Kwame Opoku can get into prime shape.
After scoring the opener against Medeama with a peach of a header, the striker managed his involvement for the rest of the game. He faded as the second half progressed.
That was to be expected. Two months of training cannot compensate for eighteen months of inactivity.
Kotoko coach Prosper Ogum knows this. That is why he has not burdened to striker with too much off-the-ball responsibility.
The striker himself acknowledges this and has the intelligence to interpret that to know which duels to avoid, which runs to make, and when to preserve his energy.
In training, Kwame Opoku immerses himself as much as anyone, and Ogum’s backroom staff are confident the striker will be in optimal shape in no time.
For the time being, Kwame Opoku is scoring goals to keep Kotoko in the title race and in the MTN FA Cup.
The timing of his goals could not have been better. Since the match against Hearts of Oak, Albert Amoah has not scored in the league or the FA Cup.
Moments before his return, Kwame Opoku touches the gross in a pre-match ritual at the Baba Yara Stadium
Amoah is the club’s top scorer in the league with six goals. After him, Emmanuel Antwi, Elvis Kyei-Baffour, Justice Blay, and four other players scored a goal each.
It is little surprise, then, that Kotoko has only scored two goals on three occasions in the league: against Dreams FC, Aduana Stars, and Bibiani Gold Stars. In three other matches, Kotoko has failed to score.
Kotoko’s lack of goals is painfully obvious.
It’s little wonder then that the club has opened the checkbook to sign Kwame Poku and Samson Eduku, ostensibly to add more firepower in attack.
He will not score in every game, but Kwame Opoku’s addition may be the difference between a top-four finish and a sustained push for the league title and the FA Cup.