CAN 2012 Files EP15: Ghana – So Close, Yet So Far

The way Ghana played at the 2012 AFCON tournament; it was only a matter of time that some team punished the Black Stars. What other way to bring down the Stars than with a compact copper bullet from Zambia. Thirty years of waiting – so close, yet so far!

After waiting all this while, many a Ghanaian felt destiny had beckoned Ghana to come lift the cup. The coach, Goran Stevanovic, had played a big role in creating this mindset as he kept promising Ghanaians the trophy. 

Goran Stevanovic - Will he do the honourable thing and resign?

The road to the trophy however had one trap – Zambia! The Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) from Zambia had vowed to stand between Ghana and the trophy and on the day Ghana appeared to have played their best game at AFCON 2012, cookie crumbled.

It all started when Gyan missed an 8th minute penalty. Ghana could have won this game if they took other subsequent chances which fell to them. Sometime in the second half, the Zambians got half of a chance; Mayuka Emmanuel took a beautifully placed shot which broke 24 million hearts and silenced a nation. 

Typically the question will be begged all year whether Goran Stevanovic’s lackadaisical attitude to his work did not cost Ghana this trophy. Many other factors were also at play here, but the buck must stop somewhere. The blame should be placed in Stevanovic’ back yard.

Questions about Goran Stevanovic’s attitude to his job, his ability to map out winsome strategies against tougher oppositions, player selection philosophy and motivation had lingered even before Stevanovic named his AFCON 2012 squad.

For instance, it was very difficult to understand why a coach of Ghana will hardly step foot in Ghana; sit in his home country in Serbia and imagine he can win trophies in Africa. It was even more confounding how after one year at post Goran Stevanovic had no clue how to deal with Ghana’s lateral defence problems. For the first time since 2006, we saw a Ghanaian bench which looked stressed, confused and demoralized game after game.

A perplexed John Paintsil

Goran Stevanovic took a Ghana team which was flying high in Africa and World football and killed its morale. Should he continue this way, the dark days where Ghana could not even win games, let alone present a credible challenge at the Nations Cup are bound to return.

In Stevanovic’s defense, some have said that he does not know his players. But that argument falls flat in the face of common sense. Others have said that AFCON 2012 is not as important as AFCON 2013 because the winner of AFCON 2013 will represent Africa in the FIFA Confederations Cup. While this is a nice way of soothing Ghanaian hearts, there is no guarantee that this coach who cannot motivate his team enough can marshal a superior strategy to win qualifiers.

On December 18th, 2011 when Goran Stevanovic held a press conference to announce his interim 25-man squad, he promised to resign if he fails to take Ghana to the finals of AFCON 2012. For once, Stevanovic should stick to his word and just do the honourable thing and quit otherwise he should be fired by the Ghana FA.

If the Ghana FA still trusts this coach to take Ghana to South Africa and win the trophy, then they will have to call him to order to take his job more seriously. Ghana deserves better than this kind of lethargy.

The way it is, a third-place playoff win against Mali will not be enough compensation for Ghanaians.

AFCON 2012: Ghana ready for Zambia [Live Updates]

GHANA STARTING LINE-UP: Adam Kwarasey, Samuel Inkoom, Lee Addy, John Mensah, John Boye, Anthony Annan, Andre Ayew, Derek Boateng, Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Jordan Ayew
GHANA SUBSTITUTIONS: Daniel Adjei, Daniel Opare, John Paintsil, Masahudu Alhassan, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah, Mohammed Abu, Sulley Muntari, Charles Takyi, Prince Tagoe, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Ernest Sowah

Ghana Black Stars 2012: United against Zambia

 

Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) of Zambia: Ready to take Ghana on

 

 

CAN 2012 Files EP14: End of the road for Zambia in sight as they face the Might of Ghana

AFCON 2012 is beginning to look like Senegal 1992 AFCON. Twenty years ago, Ghana had to overcome a talented Zambian side to book a place with Ivory Coast in the finals.  Ghana was the hot tournament favourite in 1992, but the Zambians gave Ghana a good run for their money.

This time around, the Zambians are promising the world they will finish Ghana off. According to coach Herve Renard: “The most important thing is that we believe in ourselves. Now we have the chance to go to the final. We have the confidence, the maturity and got it all.” Team captain and Chris Katongo also had this to say: “We know their names but when we get to the pitch, we want to beat them. Its eleven against eleven and time to make a name for ourselves and for the young players in the team to move up.”

of Zambia”]

Herve Renard and the Chipolopolo [Copper Bullets

This confidence from Zambia is not dropping from a vacuum. Similar to Ghana, they have spent the last few years constructing a winsome team. One time Ghana’s physical trainer Herve Renard has forged a disciplined, united and winsome team which can boast of facing any opposition.

Against Ghana, one can expect Renard’s  charges to start the game with a fitness advantage. They are most likely going toattack Ghana’s defence relentlessly. The may also at crucial times look to sit deep and strike on the break via the flanks. This  tendency to throw men forward might prove to be their weakness.

Ghana on the other hand might come into this game slightly on the low. Undefeated so far with just two goals conceded, the team still seems to be struggling to find its shine.

Typically, Ghanaian fans expect beautiful passes and ball juggling, but Goran Stevanovic’s Black Stars prefer efficiency to going for the jocular. This efficiency approach explains why in spite of all the back lash from fans and pundits alike after each game, the Man of the Match Award has gone to a Black Stars players.

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu against Tunisia

John Panstil against Guinea

Andre Ayew against Mali and

John Boye against Botswana

Obviously, something must right with the Ghana team which explains why Ghana deputy coach, Akwasi Appiah, does not see Zambia going into the finals. But he knows that the Black Stars will need inspiration going into the game if they are to stop the run of the Zambians: “The difficult part is that, most of our players have played about three-four games now and sometimes, it’s really difficult to get them to play at their maximum as you want in every game.”

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Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu [ 1 goal and 1 Man of the Match Award

Ghana has more to give than it had offered at this AFCON and one can not tell at what exact point in the tournament they will explode. But there is no doubt about the urge to combat among the Ghanaian players. Anthony Annan has shrugged off the loss of his mother to play for Ghana. The fight in Andre Ayew is probably larger than that in all of Zambia’s team. Inexperienced John Boy has shown what a big heart he has in this tournament.

This is the spirit that will take Ghana through to the finals of AFCON 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAN 2012 Files EP13: There Is Just Something About The Black Stars

Goran Stevanovic had promised some sweet attacking football ahead of the quarter final game against Tunisia. Yet, like all the other games during AFCON 2012, his team’s performance will go down as some of the most uninspired since the Black Stars’ rediscovered their rhythm sometime in 2006.

While the entire nation expected Stevanovic’s ‘better football plan’ to unfold, it was the resilience and fighting spirit of the team which came to the light.

Both Ghana and Tunisia played some determined football which saw its first share of physical encounters, dramatic simulations and cards.

But in the end, Tunisia and the rest of Africa must have learnt that lesson which Botswana, Guinea and Mali are taking home – you don’t bring the fight to the Black Stars and expect to win.

The semi-final game against Zambia on Wednesday does not look like it will be easy. Their seamless blend of finesse and fitness will pose many difficulties to the Black Stars who have looked shaky all throughout this tournament.

But there is just something about the Black Stars that makes them to be no one’s pushovers and Zambia are about to learn this in a very heart breaking manner.

 

CAN 2012 Files EP12: Mission Accomplished, That 100th Goal And A Question For Goran Stevanovic

A very special 94M/s goal by Agyeman-Badu marked Ghana 100^th African Nations Cup goals on a night when the Stars simply failed to glitter. Congratulations to the young man who has made Michael Essien’s loss less painful.

Guinea needed a win to survive the tournament and hence came in to play a physical game while attacking down the flank. Obviously, Goran Stevanovic and his players had no clue to the Guinea tactic and his team was in sixes and sevens.

In the end however, the objective for the first round of the tournament was accomplished. Ghana is going to the quarter finals without defeat. The Black Stars will face old foes Tunisia on Sunday February 5^th 2012 in a quarter final encounter.

Many who have followed the current crop of players from Argentina 2001 World Youth Championships through Ghana 2008 AFCON, Egypt 2009 World Youth Championship, Angola 2010 AFCON and the South Africa 2010 World Cup, expected some champagne football. But the coach who promised sweet attacking football delivered some of the scariest football Ghana played since Egypt 2006 AFCON. Even with a one man advantage, Ghana was on the defensive.

After that piss-poor group opener against Botswana, the age-old excuse of Ghana starting tournaments on a slow note was thrown out there. But a rather terrible first half against Mali followed and people started asking questions. The players promised to make amends, but this very unimpressive outing against Guinea makes those questions linger.

Can Black Stars play any better football before the end of the tournament? Will such weak performances carry Ghana through to the final and then lift the cup?

One can only hope that a different strategy will be brought to the quarter final game against Tunisia.

Over the years we have seen that the Blacks Stars seem to play every game according to public perception of the potency of the opposition and the importance of the game. This means that we can expect a much more spirited performance as the tournament progresses.

The burning questions of full/wing backs, right wing, goal keeping and a playmaker to feed Gyan with those hard-to-miss balls are yet to be resolved after one year of Stevanovic’s reign.

This is why I will like to ask Stevanovic a very simple question: If you were the Serbian FA boss and your coach had a year to build the national team and they played this kind of piss poor football at the Euros, how will you react?

CAN 2012 Files EP11: Sound Bites and More Ahead of The Guinea Game

Here are a few things being said and done in the Ghana camp ahead of the Ghana vs Guinea game.

John Paintsil does not want any complacency:

“The next game is about as big a test as the opening two matches. By the qualification format, we are not yet there. The two matches are taking place at the same time and we can’t guarantee the outcome of the other result which means we need to fight for our place. They will come in strongly after their score-line the last time but we are not focusing on that result. This is a new game that we are all pushing for. We are very, very determined to win and win in every other game.”

John Mensah is not breaking down:

‎”I’m feeling better with each passing day. The doctor said after the scan in Libreville that it is a minor injury. I’m undergoing treatment and he said that in no time I will be back playing again.”

John Mensah, may sit out against Mali

Kwarasey learns a trick or two:

“I am happy we kept a clean sheet but I am not happy with my personal performance. The Malians were strong and big and I had problems dealing with the aerial balls. I am still learning but I will improve. I learnt that I have to use my body and height a lot more and command my area.”

Adam Kwarasey

Sulley Ali Muntari knows something Ghanaians don’t:

“We know exactly the team we are going to face so we are preparing ourselves in order to play well.”

Charles Takyi is praising himself:

“I believe I did well in the [last] match. When your team is tired you are needed to bring something new and I think I did well.”

Daniel Opare is not in camp just to sing and dance:

“Of course, every player wants to be on the pitch and I really want to play. Anytime I get my chance on the pitch I hope to give out my 100% and deliver.”

Sulley Ali Muntari is upbeat about shifting from the Blue to the Red side of Milan:

“Yes I am a bit happy but as I have been saying, I’m here in national camp so I’m concentrating with the national team first. It is a great honour to play for AC Milan. I’m very, very happy.

Gyan is not the only one who knows the Azonto, Journalists know it too:

Goran Stevanovic has a messgae for Guinea:

A. Kwarasey, A. Masahudu, I. Vorsah, J. Boye, J. Pantsil, S. Inkoom, E. Agyemang-Badu, A. Annan, A. Andre, K Asamoah, A. Gyan

Battle ready