J. AngatiaPlayer Scout Report: Kevin Luke Otiala
Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 31.10.23. | 19:56
What, however, makes the former St. Joseph star a top player is how intelligent of a leader he is;
Making waves in the FKF Premier League, Kevin Luke Otiala never knew he would be here a year later, having battled injury to a national team call-up. Things are looking up for the former St. Joseph's Youth defender.
The player roped in through the impeccable Kariobangi Sharks scouting platform is a gem of a player; he can be employed as a left center back or left back and can comfortably slot into central midfield.
The coaching at Sharks has seen Otiala develop into an even stronger ball-playing centre-back who understands the timing of delivery (where does it lead the receiver, which foot) Otiala is impeccable in these details, and this has aided him in better understanding the dynamic aspects of the game.
Otiala is a good receiver of the ball when compared to most defenders in the division. He rarely, if ever, gets caught out by pressing players and is a useful tool for Kariobangi Sharks, helping them play from defense.
On receiving the ball, he is capable of quick, short passes to maintain possession. This allows him to act as a good ball-playing defender. He, however, does struggle to make medium-range line-breaking passes, instead preferring to lay the ball off to more creative teammates; this is not an issue when he has Fortune Omoto, Keith Imbali, Biron Otieno, and teen sensation Stanley Wilson.
His one-versus-one defending is great; Otiala rarely overcommits, and in the rare events he is caught out, his pace and athleticism help him recover.
Otiala does not look to primarily carry the ball forward, looking for line-breaking passes; instead, during sustained periods of possession, he acts as the orchestrator from the back, willing to receive and circulate with ease.
When employed in central midfield as an anchor, there are some aspects in which Otiala thrives. Otiala tends to take a measured approach to receiving the ball; it appears basic, but it is effective. The purpose of his first touch is to delay before escaping an opponent. Upon taking the ball in, during build-up patterns, Otiala is more likely to have a more lax, upright posture.
He prefers to control the ball, hold it, hold it, keep allowing the opponent to get closer, and then he makes the decisive action. Of course, football does not work in absolutes, so it is not cast in stone that he will always look to heavily use the above delaying mode in the build-up phase. He can also choose to disguise, relying heavily on deception and misdirection through scanning and subtle body movements so as to give out an idea of a certain pass before choosing a different alternative. Otiala is also a master at the drop shoulder.
He possesses very good pace and acceleration; his top speed is an excellent tool, especially defensively. He is often the first defender you can see running back to defend a transition from attack to defense.
What, however, makes the former St. Joseph star a top player is how intelligent of a leader he is; one can even forget he had never played in the top flight before last season. One would expect him to be ridden with mistakes, be it the timing of challenges, when to pressure someone, when to back off, and so on. Otiala does not show many weaknesses when his team is out of possession; he is a very strong communicator, especially in the Kariobangi Sharks zonal set-play defending system. He always makes sure his teammates know when the opposition attacker has moved into the path of the teammate.
His strengths defensively also reveal themselves when he is dealing with long, over-the-top passes into space. Especially in a high-line enthusiastic team like Kariobangi Sharks, which works on front-foot aggressive defending.
Otiala is an intelligent and athletic defender. His technical ability is among the best in the league, which is why he was called up to the national team. His ambidexterity is a plus when he is pinging long balls into space. With his first season hindered by injuries where he missed a huge chunk of games for the Sharks, this could be the now proper season where he makes his name a household one, either with his intriguing new role as a central midfielder or as a defender, his forte.
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