Asante Kotoko: Too early to judge Mariano Barreto - Abdul Razak

Asante Kotoko legend, Abdul Razak has urged fans to manage their expectations of new coach Mariano Barreto.

The Porcupine Warriors have been churning out some good results under the Portuguese manager after taking over as the new head coach.

The wins have propelled the club to stay on top of the Ghana Premier League log with 35 points despite sharing spoils with Great Olympics in the matchday 20 games.

“This is the beginning of Mariano Barreto’s reign as he is handling the second round after others took charge of the first-round games," Razak told Kumasi based Nhyira FM.

“Hearts brought Kosta Papic who started well but results were not encouraging after some games.”

He however commended Barreto’s bright start to his second coming in Ghana but was cautious to be overblown by the few games played.

“He [Mariano Barreto] has started on a good note by winning his first two games and he needs to be credited but we need to be patient with him,” Razak noted.

The 1978 African Player of Year led Kotoko to win their maiden trophy in 2002/03 league season – their first since professional football league began in 1994.

The Porcupines had gone 10 years bereft of the Ghana Premier League trophy which was dominated by Goldfields, now AshantiGold and Accra Hearts of Oak.

Kotoko have had to endure a mixed season so far but recent results are giving hope that a 24th league title triumph is possible.

• What next?

Asante Kotoko will host Medeama SC in the matchday 21 games at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium.