By El-Amisty Nobo| Follow Amisty on twitter @ElAmistyNobo
Kumasi Asante Kotoko returns to the pitch again for the first time on Sunday after that unfortunate fatal motor accident on Wednesday, July 12 on the Nkawkaw-Kumasi highway that led to the death of the equipment officer of the club, Mr. Thomas Obeng Asare.
The Porcupine Warriors will come face-to-face with their bitterest rivals – Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium tomorrow to clear their matchday 23 outstanding game of the 2017 Ghana Premier League that was put on hold to allow Kotoko to recover fully.
www.sports24ghana.com is envisaging a keenly contested battle between these two most glamorous clubs [Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko] in the history of Ghanaian football despite Kotoko’s absence from active play in the past three weeks.
If there is any player in the Kotoko set up that needs be checked and if possibly checked at all times by the entire Hearts back line, then there’s none other player than Saddick ‘The Catastrophic’ Adams.
Coach Steve Pollack is plotting Hearts’ downfall on Sunday with three key attacking styles: Counter attacking football, long balls, as well as the wide play.
In coach Steve Pollack’s counter attacking style, Saddick Adams is going to be deployed to hovering around the center line anytime Hearts of Oak attack with the hope that a through ball can be played to catch Hearts’ defensive line off guard as soon as Kotoko gains possession of the ball.
The long ball style of play may not be stylish yet very remarkably effective when used with players who are technically gifted as the anchors. This requires players who have the ability to perfectly exploit small gaps in the enemies’ defensive area.
A team that chooses to bet on this particular attacking style needs to a strong target man who can hold up play whiles waiting for his attacking midfielders to exploit the loopholes.
Saddick Adams has been circled in Pollack’s tactical notebook as the central figure in all the above mentioned attacking options due to his powerful striking ability.
This style of attack offers the winger the opportunity to take on fullbacks thereby dragging the central defenders out of position leaving space for the striker to exploit from.
It also gives the winger the opportunity to cut inside and drive forward at an angle or better still, cross the ball to the strikers to pounce on.
Three strong technical facts about Saddick Adams:
1. Saddick Adams is not just an experienced striker but a good reader of the game as well who has the ability to predict opposing defenders.
2. Saddick Adams knows how to time perfectly for a through ball from deep midfield.
3. Saddick Adams can play as a center forward as well as the man in the hole. That is, operating behind the lead striker in a typical 4-4-1-1 tactical layout as used by Fabio Capello during his heydays in Milan.
Having enumerated the above points, let me quickly suffice to reiterate here however that for the former Starlets striker to function effectively on Sunday, he needs Emmanuel Gyamfi who combines skill with pace to come to the party whilst Baba Mahama is also expected to be the man to be tightening the bolts behind the catastrophic shooter – Saddick Adams.
www.sports24ghana.com
