Question Marks Remain for the Black Stars
The dust seems to have settled following the USMNT's successful revenge mission on the Black Stars after losing to us in the two previous tournaments. Reports of team revolt after the game were quickly dismissed by the GFA (with them posting pictures of training, probably to ease our fears). Focus has now turned firmly onto the next must-not-lose game against Germany tomorrow.With that being said there are a number of areas that Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah must learn from in order to correct some of the mistakes made against the Americans. Broadly speaking his team selection, tactical approach and in-game management were called to question by many fans and pundits alike (including myself admittedly). Here are a few areas I believe Ghana need to focus on to have any realistic chance against Muller, Ozil & co.
Experience counts: This is such an important game that we need to have as much composure and experience in the side as possible. This is naturally a balancing act, fitness levels must be gauged by the coaching staff but the likes of Michael Essien and Kevin Prince Boateng have strong cases to start on this basis alone. Although Mohammed Rabiu did relatively well in the defensive midfield role this is his first major international tournament and could do with an experienced defensive minded midfielder like an Essien or even an Agyemang Badu to play alongside him or even to replace him.
In defence we opted for Daniel Opare at right back rather than the relatively more experienced Sam Inkoom. Opare seems like a relatively more energetic and offensive player but wasn't very effective with his runs and crosses down the right wing. Also defensively he doesn't look very assured. Coach Appiah would do well to select the more experienced right back when faced with the potential onslaught we are likely to deal with when Germany mount sustained attacks.
Ultimately Ghana needs to have leaders on the pitch in order to make sure we are able to stay composed and keep our defensive shape if we're faced with any pressure from the opposition. Experienced players are better placed to do this.
Tactical Approach: One thing we can learn from team USA is how they managed to squeeze the pitch defensively and make it difficult for our more technically gifted players to break them down. When facing Germany, Ghana will probably have to adopt a similar tactical approach to our American counterparts, which means dropping fairly deep and keeping two banks of four (with Appiah's preference for two strikers). Alternatively we could go for a 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 formation with at least one defensive midfield pivot keeping track of the runs of Germany's more creative players that will invariably try and get 'between the lines' and wreak havoc on our defence. I would opt to play Gyan as a lone striker with support from Andre Ayew with his younger brother dropping to the bench. This is the system we have used to great effect in previous world cups as it gives our numerous midfield options a better platform to shine and control games.
Irrespective of which formation the coach chooses to go with it is absolutely imperative that Ghana are switched on right from the off. An early deficit against a team of the quality of the USA wasn't totally disastrous but making the same mistake against a team of the caliber of Germany most certainly would be. Essentially our best bet tactically is to sit deep (but not too deep) and hit Germany on the break with the pace of Ayew and Gyan with KPB and maybe Muntari given licence to support them. Playing a five man midfield would also be ideal in making it difficult for the Germans to find space in our half of the pitch.
Overall we do need to have a disciplined approach but Ghana must not sacrifice too much of its cutting edge. To do this we mustn't get caught defending too deep. A good indicator will be whether we are defending just in front of the penalty box and not dropping as deep as the 6 yard box too often. This could make a difference in terms of carrying out our own counter attacks and exploiting the space that Germany may leave in behind searching for a breakthrough.
In-Game Adjustments: One of my gripes with our coach's performance in the previous game was the lack of dynamism in our play when it was clear that a lot of our approach play (particularly in the first half) was not working against the USA. Rather than holding onto possession and working the opposition around the pitch with clever runs from our midfield and strikers to create space, we were guilty of launching long balls and wayward crosses to our attackers time and time again. Our coach needs to spot these issues early and get instructions on the pitch to tweak our approach (if not our personnel).
Although it is clear that Germany will pose the Black Stars very different problems to the ones they faced against the USA; What matters is that our coach is able to quickly identify issues with our setup and get instructions onto the pitch to make the adjustments needed to plug any gaps (or indeed exploit weaknesses in the opposition) that he is able to spot during the game. In a game like this we can't afford to wait until half time to adjust to our opponents as that could possibly be too late.
In conclusion Ghana do have work to do to get it right and its fair to say that Germany will be favorites for the game, however with the talent at our disposal and the right tactical approach and attitude we can cause Germany problems and take something from the game. Regardless of what players the coach selects or his tactical setup if the players do what is necessary with the right level of conviction anything is possible. Although we should respect the Germans we have nothing to fear if we play to our potential.
Fingers crossed we can pull off a shock tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment