Four things Asante Kotoko must do to excel in CAF Champions League

Asante Kotoko will be representing Ghana in the 2022/2023 CAF Champions League after winning the Ghana Premier League.

There have been calls for the management to boost the squad by signing players in order to deliver in CAF’s elite inter-club competition.

No Ghanaian club has gone beyond the group stage since Berekum Chelsea in 2012, and in the last couple of years, the best finish has been the second round of playoffs. Kotoko would want to break the jinx this year.

Upon presenting the GPL title to the life patron of the club, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, he tasked the management and the coach to win the CAF Champions League.

“I congratulate you for winning the league title; now, you are going to Africa; I will urge you, the CEO, coach and the players to win Africa because it’s been a while we laid hands on the title,” he said as quoted by ghanasoccernet.com.

Kotoko last won it in 1983, which was their second title. It has really been a long time, and if Kotoko is able to deliver the trophy, there will be a lot to be done than just signing players.

Building the right mentality for the players

This is one paramount factor in delivering in Africa’s flagship club competition.

In fact, it is the basic in all aspects of life that people with a strong mentality, mostly, tend to be successful.

As Selina Quintanilla-Perez said, “be strong-minded and always believe that the impossible is possible,” by this, you would push through every situation.

Head coach Prosper Narteh Ogum should find a way of building a monstrous mentality for his players to be ready for the campaign.

Here is Jose Mourinho’s post-match comment after his team conceded 3 goals in 7 minutes to lose 3-2 to Juventus in the just-ended Serie A season.

“We allowed them back in at 3-2, a team with a strong mentality like Juventus, a strong character. The fear set in, a psychological complex.

“It’s not a problem for me having 3-2. It’s a problem for them, for my team. At the end of the day, when you’re in the s***, you get back on your feet and find your character.

“But there are people in this locker room who are a bit too nice, a bit too weak.”

He worked on his team’s mentality, and they won the UEFA Europa Conference League. It is one of the Portuguese manager’s unique traits, and Ogum needs to adapt it if he really wants to deliver.

Create enabling environment

Working on the players’ mentality goes hand in hand with the environment, which the top hierarchy will have to create for the team.

The coach could set his team up for battle, but failed promises and issues like unpaid salaries could destabilise the squad.

These are some of the minor details the board and the management need to get right if they want to deliver the wish of the life patron of the club, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

This is where the heavy investment commences.

Improve the squad

It is obvious that Asante Kotoko will need to sign players to build a competitive squad for the Champions League.

But the signings need to solve problems, not create problems for the coach. The coach and the management need to liaise and sign the best players available for the positions that they lack quality. Instead of signing because they need players for the competition.

Making 3 or 4 right signings is better than signing 10 players for the sake of the Champions League. The coach will be overwhelmed with the big squad.

Keep Etouga, Mfuege and other key members of the squad

Asante Kotoko won the League with three matches to spare, meaning the team was dominant.

Some players stood out, and those players should be in the squad for the Africa campaign. It might be difficult, but the management needs to go the extra mile in keeping them.

Players like Franck Etouga, George Mfegue, Imoro Ibrahim, Mudasiru Salifu and a few others.

Generally, the outs should not be that much since these players are familiar with the coach’s style.