Asante Kotoko's Imoro Ibrahim and Hearts of Oak's Dennis Korsah are undoubtedly the best left-backs in the Ghana Premier League(GL), currently.
The two players were phenomenal for their respective sides in the just-ended 2021/2022 GPL season.
Imoro was pivotal in Kotoko's quest to win the League, whereas Korsah put up a fabulous performance in the FA Cup final to help Hearts win the domestic cup.
The question has been, between the two, who should be called up to the Black Stars squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The highlight of Otto Addo's tactics since taking over as Black Stars coach has been his three-back system, which allows full-backs to be high up the pitch.
He prefers to get his full-backs involved in the attacking areas, swinging in pinpoint crosses, acting as playmakers with incisive passing, and creating a quick passing combination down the flanks.
Although the aforementioned strategies are a major part of Otto Addo's system, he might adopt a more defensive approach similar to how he set up his team against Nigeria in the playoff second leg.
This is because he would not want to risk going toe-to-toe and opening up against Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea in the group stages.
So, between Imoro and Korsah who should be the ideal option for the system?
At Asante Kotoko, coach Prosper Ogum Narteh allows his full-backs to be involved in attacking transitions.
As a result, his fullbacks usually get the final touch or the last but one touch before the ball enters the box. That is when the build-up from the flanks is completed successfully.
It is not surprising that Imoro finished the season with 135 box passes, 8 assists, the most by any player in the league, 6 pre-assists, and 21 key passes.
Obviously, Ogum's system brings Imoro's attacking attribute to life- a quality he has had since his days at Karela.
However, little can be said about his defensive ability because the system in which he finds himself does not require him to prioritize defense. It rather provides a cover for him whenever he vacates his position.
The disadvantage of Imoro's game is defending one-on-ones and duels- he does not have the physique to win duels.
Dennis Korsah, on the other hand, is better suited for one-on-one defense, has great passing ability both long and short, uses his physique well in duels, and has pace but lacks delivery.
Korsah's passing game sometimes goes under the radar.
His long pass to Kwadwo Obeng Junior in Hearts of Oak's MTN FA Cup final led to Daniel Afriyie finishing off a brilliant move. The goal proved to be the game-winner.
Korsah finds himself in a similar system as Imoro but has a different role. Hearts of Oak coach Samuel Boadu prefers to start his build-up through the left with Korsah getting involved with his precise passing but not getting the end of it due to poor devilries.
Therefore, most of the crosses into the area are from the right with Korsah having fewer touches in the attacking areas to get involved in goals.
In the 2020/2021 season, he scored 5 goals and provided 5 assists while playing for Ebusua Dwarfs, where the system required him to be more offensive.
Both players share a similar quality- scoring from freekicks but using different techniques. Imoro goes for the curler whiles Korsah prefers to go for power.
However, Imoro is superior in set pieces, as opposed to Korsah, who is only a freekick specialist.
In the 2020/2021 season, Korsah was the best set-piece taker in the league as he scored 3 of them. At Hearts of Oak, he is not the first choice.
2021/2022 season was for Imoro, where a number of his assists and his 2 goals came from set pieces.
In conclusion, Imoro will best fit in an attacking system while Korsah is best suited for a defensive system but can adjust to offensive sides when required.
They have both been called up to the Black Galaxies ahead of the 2023 Championship of African Nations qualifiers in July 2022.
With the current buzz around the two, their performance in the qualifiers would put one of them in the good books of the Black Stars technical team as the 2022 FIFA World Cup draws closer.
EE/KPE
Asante Kotoko, defender Imoro Ibrahim (L), Hearts of Oak defender, Denis Korsah (R)