Qatar 2022 Preview: Ghana in to exorcise ghosts of 2014
The Black Stars of Ghana are the lowest ranked team participating in the World Cup but will have a chip on their shoulder
What a difference a week makes. A nation-wide atmosphere of doubt and rancour over player selection and the commitment of the head coach, Otto Addo, to the cause of Ghana’s national team at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar has been replaced by excitement and a growing sense of belief. All this after a decent win in the team’s final build-up game against Switzerland.
Yes. Switzerland. Not a mind numbing opponent but a decent one all the same. The 15th best football country in the world if you are a believer of FIFA’s ranking. Ghanaian fans can be excused for not being measured in their expectations after the 2-0 win. Not since 2006 has the Black Stars of Ghana beaten a team in the top 15 of the rankings in a match.
Even the tone of the messaging from the players and the coaching staff has changed. There is belief this team is just more than potential. It is on the cusp.
Debutant goal scorer Antoine Semenyo spoke about the team’s readiness to local news outlet Joy FM.
“We played so well, it was an all-round good performance. Everyone’s firing and we’re all ready.”
Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu also shared similar thoughts.
“We’re all from different clubs but we have good quality in the team,” he said.
“They are playing at the top level. It’s a young team with good talent. If we focus on our journey, we can do more.”
It is good self belief and confidence are not lacking . The Black Stars are placed in a group of gritty veterans. Portugal . Uruguay. South Korea. All three have several players who have experienced the World Cup and its treacherous paths. It is a tournament where having old heads is actually a requirement to perform well rather than a condiment. Ghana will be the youngest competing team in Qatar and its entire World Cup experience is bound in the combined three appearances of the Ayew brothers, Andre and Jordan.
Ghana’s government and some of its officials have made bold predictions of a semi final appearance but that is just utopian. The actual targets of the team at this World Cup are two fold.
By the end of the 2014 World Cup, Ghana’s national football team was synonymous with infamy after its players mutinied over late appearance fees. John Boye’s blurred visage kissing a wad of cash as he departed a room at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Brasilia became the lasting image of Ghana’s last appearance at the World Cup. It was a disgraceful ending to what could have been the continuation of a story of progress. Second round exit in 2006. A historic quarter final in 2010. 2014 was set up to be the next instalment. Qatar presents an opportunity to show the football world the new face of Ghana football eight years after its last appearance.
A new administration led by Kurt Okraku has tried to implement changes and some level of transparency in its dealings with the playing body over matters of money. The World Cup will test how well these changes have been implemented. On the pitch, the team will also seek to carve its own niche. The class of 2014 will not be a difficult act to follow for these young stars. Most of them are far removed from that era and have different agendas. This team in that regard is closer to the 2006 team that turned heads in Germany.
When head coach Otto Addo was asked recently in Accra what his ideal team looked like , he spoke of team spirit, energy , good form and a commitment to play for the national team. They are easy enough tasks to achieve. The biggest challenge to Ghana making a positive impression in Qatar is balance. After the win against Switzerland, he alluded to the team’s vast array of possibilities in all positions and the need to find balance. For example, what is Thomas Partey’s most effective position in the Black Stars? The Arsenal star is noted as a defensive midfielder with some of the best ball progression skills in the modern game at his club side. And he scored the odd golazo too. For Ghana he is primarily viewed as a more advanced midfield player who can dictate games. It has rarely worked. With some interesting recruits like Salis Abdul Samed and Elisha Owusu who are all competent central midfielders, clearly defining roles and finding complements will be key.
What about Daniel Kofi Kyereh? The Freiburg midfielder has become one of the most popular additions to the Black Stars in the past cycle and it is easy to understand why. He is intelligent on the ball and is perhaps the most efficient midfielder. Every pass and movement has purpose. He is the kind of player who should be an automatic starter in the Black Stars but is known mostly as a substitute. Reason being the right balance to accommodate him is yet to be found. Throw in Ajax’s rising attacking star, Mohammed Kudus and the equation becomes even more complex. The midfielder is the Black Star’s second highest goal scorer over the past year. He takes a lot of attacking risks and creates a lot of chances but is not the most disciplined defensively. This is an issue for a coach like Addo who treasures team organisation above all else. Is deploying Kudus as a false nine a possibility as is done regularly at his club side Ajax? These are the conundrums that Otto Addo has to deal with and it does not get any easier. The two biggest questions involve the two biggest names in the team.
What to do with the captain Andre Ayew and Jordan Ayew.
Ayew provides unquestioned leadership and goals. He is the team’s top goal scorer but where exactly does he fit tactically? He is not a number ten although he works very hard and is a stickler for tactical organisation in that position, as was seen against Switzerland. He no longer has the legs to play out wide like used to circa 2010 and frankly out wide is one of the most loaded positions in the current team. Can he play as a false nine? He certainly has thrived in that position for Al Saad of Qatar recently.
Then there is his brother, Jordan. Primarily a winger but not known for his attacking productivity. He rarely assists or scores from open play these days for the Black Stars. He can play alone upfront due to his tireless running and pressing and has done so at some AFCONs but that is not Otto Addo’s preferred style. It leaves one of the more tactically savvy members of the team out in the lurch.
Look on the bright side though. The variety of options could be Ghana’s biggest weapon if used wisely. Ghana’s group represents three of the most distinct styles in football. The tightly wound brilliance of Portugal, the grit of Uruguay and the speedy organisation of South Korea. Group H is the true epitome of no two games are the same at a World Cup.
All this being said, I still need to make a prediction. Let’s go to Qatar!
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We should not let the Suisse game get into our heads too much. But as you noted, it's down to the coach to find the right balance and this will mean perhaps some very hard decisions on the Ayews. I feel we will beat Portugal but then it will get into our heads and we will be drummed by the Koreans...who knows eh. I will be there to support them. Thank goodness Otto Addo has Hughton as a technical advisor. He'd need his brains for tactics to deal with superior opponents and veterans