Nicholas Opoku: The Heartbeat of Kasimpasa’s Defense
Nicholas Opoku’s season with Kasimpasa has been defined by consistency and control and has proven to be their most reliable center back. He has been ever present this season. Through 13 matches and 1170 minutes, he has become one of the team’s top performers.
His defensive attributes has been solid throughout the campaign. Opoku has made 90 clearances, won 58 ground duels, made 20 tackles, 10 blocked shots, and importantly, has made no errors leading to shots or goals; impressive right?
Even against stronger opponents in Turkey like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor and Rizespor, Opoku has held his ground, helping Kasimpasa keep two clean sheets and conceding an average of just 1.31 goals per game.
On the ball, he has shown calmness and accuracy, completing 514 of his 571 passes (90%), averaging 41 accurate passes and 61 touches each game, with a steady output in long balls and chipped passes.
Quiet but effective, Opoku has delivered a run of performances that underline his value, a defender doing his job with focus, steadiness and reliability every week.
It is with these performances that fans call for his return to the Black Stars set up. A defender who can pass from the back and help build up.