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 George Asare aims high
By: David Owusu-Mensah
Posted: 9th April 008
For a new player who has played barely sixty minutes for Kotoko in an African club competition, George Asare says the fabulous club provides the needed platform for him to improve as a professional player.
The player hitherto has had stints with Kumasi Cornerstones, King Faisal and Berekum Arsenals but has found it difficult to command a regular shirt at Kotoko since the start of the 2007/2008 season.
This notwithstanding, the tall-lanky centre-back had shown real prospects of making an impact in the few opportunities he has been offered, particularly Kotoko’s Confederations Cup match against Wikki Tourist last Sunday.
George made his ambitious intentions known to the Kotoko Express in a brief interview after he put up a commendable performance to help Kotoko triumph 4-1 over Wikki Tourist of Nigeria.
According to him, playing for Kotoko in an African Cup competition was not an easy task due to the huge pedigree Kotoko commands in the continent coupled with the expectant crowd at the stadium.
“Playing for Kotoko is always difficult because you need to be tough in strength and there is also the pressure for you to deliver. So I trained harder than I used to before the match against Wikki.” He emphasized.
Apart from the registered central defence pair of Prince Anokye and Dan Acquah, George Asare remains the only Kotoko central defender among the number of registered players for the preliminary stages of the CAF Confederations Cup Competition.
A condition that makes him the best alternative in case of the unexpected.
However, he has not had the privilege of always playing at the central defence position in the few matches he has played for Kotoko in the Onetouch Premier League this season and this was once again witnessed last Sunday when he came in for right winger, Francis Akwaffo.
“For me I enjoy playing at the centre-back but I am not perturbed when the coach gives me a new role to play. It only requires the needed strength to prove my capabilities and to also adjust to inter-positional changes”.
Asked about how it felt playing the holding role in midfield after Coach Bash had varied his tactics in the Kotoko midfield during last Sunday’s encounter with the Nigerians, he responded that, “I was pleased with the chance and I tried to do most of the tackling and ball distribution as expected of me”.
Irrespective of the fact that he remains a non-starter in Coach Bashir’s tactical plan, George is not worried and believes the technical handler knows best and will always respect his decision.
“Starting from the bench has not been a problem for me since it even helps me to read the game very well from the bench and make an impact on the game anytime I am introduced”.
On Kotoko’s chances of winning the Confederations Cup, George did not mince words when he intimated, “Kotoko has one of the best teams in the competition and we are capable of lifting the trophy for the first time in this competition”. He noted.
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