Asante Kotoko head coach Abdul Karim Zito has hit back at critics after guiding the Porcupine Warriors to a 1-0 victory over Bibiani Gold Stars in the Champion of Champions clash at Duns Park.
Kotoko had endured a nightmare outing in the GHALCA Top 4, losing all three matches to Gold Stars, Heart of Lions, and Hearts of Oak ; a run that drew heavy criticism from supporters. But Zito insisted their struggles were down to a congested schedule that left his players exhausted.
“I told you before, the GHALCA Tournament, the timing was very bad for us, not for the other clubs. When you look at our schedules, immediately after the league, we played the FA Cup, the President Cup and then we travelled. All this while, other clubs were resting,” Zito explained.
He admitted Kotoko entered the Top 4 while still in the early stages of pre-season, which accounted for the mistakes and sluggish play.
“So, we were in the basic phase of pre-season when we started playing matches. Definitely, I wasn’t expecting something too good from my boys. If you quantify all the goals we conceded, you’ll see the majority were minor mistakes from defenders or set-pieces. It tells you all the clubs were not fully ready,” he said.
Zito stressed that he always had faith in his players, and their response in the Champion of Champions proved him right.
“I told them, look, I trust you, I know what you can do. We can go and win the Champion of Champions here. And there’s one thing I kept on saying ; you can’t beat Zito twice. For that, I am sure.”
The win gives Kotoko a morale-boosting start to the new campaign and eases the pressure on their new boss, who is now looking to push for more silverware.
