Black Stars Coach Kwesi Appiah has explained his decision to start returnee Kwadwo Asamoah from the bench in the team’s defeat to Kenya.

Ghana suffered a 1-0 loss to the East Africans following an own goal by Nicholas Opoku.

Coach Kwesi Appiah has however been blamed for refusing to name a “strong” line up against Kenya after keeping Kwadwo Asamoah and striker Raphael Dwamena on the bench.

Many have attributed the defeat to what they believed as poor selection on the part of the Coach.

Asamoah’s introduction in the 70th minute could not yield any result as the player failed to make any impact in the 20minutes he spent on the pitch.

“I don’t play with names, I play with players who will be fit at a particular time and Kwadwo being on the bench does not mean he is not a good player,” Kwesi Appiah said in a post-match interview.

“He is one of the best players but at certain circumstances you have to also allow some players in.”

The Black Stars still maintain their top spot in the group despite the defeat to Kenya.