With five games played, the 2018/19 campaign has already been a tumultuous one for fans of Inter, their side repeatedly lurching from good performances to bad ones with alarming regularity. The past week alone has seen them lose to Parma but beat Tottenham and Sampdoria via dramatic late goals, yet few would back them to continue that winning run for too long, the club’s inconsistency standing as their only consistent trait for the past few years.
However, seeking to buck the trend of wildly fluctuating displays is Kwadwo Asamoah, the left-back joining the Nerazzurri this past summer and, in his first six appearances, showing his new team-mates that maintaining a high standard is indeed possible. Every time he takes to the field, the 29-year-old delivers exactly what is expected of him, capable of shutting out the outside influences that seek to heap pressure on Luciano Spalletti’s men.
He has been immune to the Coach’s constant tactical changes, already having played as part of the attacking trident in a 4-2-3-1, as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 and as an orthodox full-back, even if the players around him have also repeatedly been changing.
Some of that is a carryover from his time at Juventus where Max Allegri is known for his multiple shifts, often switching between two or three alternative systems within a single game. However, it is testament to the character and intelligence of Asamoah that he is able to withstand that and thrive in those circumstances, the faltering performances of Inter’s other players underlining just how difficult a skill that can be.
But the reason that the former Udinese man is standing out goes beyond merely being able to cope with playing in different roles or within various frameworks, with his contributions on the pitch equally impressive.
Only midfield playmaker Marcelo Brozovic (98.7) has made more passes per 90 minutes than Asamoah’s tally of 77.1, the Ghanaian connecting with 88.2% of his efforts thus far. Keita Balde (3.9) and Ivan Perisic (3.1) are the only ones to have made more successful take-ons than his 2.5 per 90 minutes, while his ability to get forward and overlap the winger ahead of him has become a useful weapon in the Nerazzurri arsenal.
It was his cross to Mauro Icardi that saw Inter equalise against Spurs, with the Argentinian striker calling the pass “fantastic” when he spoke to Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle. He was unfortunate to see a thunderous strike of his own ruled out against Sampdoria, but Asamoah – who seems to already be building a superb understanding with Perisic – has proven to be a useful contributor to the attack while remaining a resolute defensive presence.
No Inter player has managed more interceptions (2.3) per 90 minutes, while he has yet to be dribbled past in any Serie A match according to OPTA’s latest statistics. Taking up excellent positions to prevent his man going beyond him, Asamoah’s efforts have certainly not gone unnoticed.
“He has great personality and individual technique,” former Inter skipper and 1982 World Cup winner Beppe Bergomi said while commentating on one match this term. “He knows how to protect the ball too and the play starts with him. He was a surprise even for me, in roles he hasn’t played for some time now.”
Writing after the win over Spurs, La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Carlo Angioni insisted that Asamoah “has already become one of the pillars of this side,” believing that Spalletti has already begun to rely on him heavily. Perhaps that should not be a surprise given Šime Vrsaljko has struggled for fitness since arriving from Atletico Madrid and Inter’s other full-back options leave much to be desired, but it is no empty compliment.
Deserving all the praise that is coming his way, the man himself says he has no regrets about ending his six-year stint in Turin.
“I feel at home, I’m happy to be here,” Asamoah told Inter’s website recently. “There was the chance to remain there but I chose this shirt along with my family. I’m happy to have this new experience and do important things. My decision to leave Juventus was difficult but the directors and the Coach convinced me… I think I can improve here.”
His agent Davide Torchia has since told Radio CRC that his client will retire at San Siro, believing he is truly happy to be playing for the Nerazzurri. Bringing a heady blend of tactical intelligence, experience, reliability and technical ability, they are lucky to have him and, somehow, Kwadwo Asamoah is even managing to bring consistency to Inter.
