The team lost at home against Angola as if that was not enough they shared the spoils against the 125th-placed Niger side at Berkane, Morocco.
READ MORE: AFCON 2025Q: BlackStars fail to glitter against Niger
The results show that the BlackStars picked a point and third on the log from two games.
In the two games I have watched the BlackStars play I have penned down a few pointers from them.
A Spineless team
Let me borrow the profound political words of Dr. Mahammud Bawumia, who remarked some years ago that “if the fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you” statement. Similarly, any team that thrives, trumps, dominates, and wins laurels has a foundation base on which they achieve those set objectives in the short-term, medium, or long-term. Coach Otto Addo’s second coming hasn’t given well-meaning Ghanaians who adore the BlackStars he is the right man for the job. Tactically, his team has no spine, pattern, or structure to which they play and that hasn’t inspired hope and belief in the once giants of African football.
Creativity Gap
When the lineup was announced an hour before the proceedings, it was evident that two changes had been made to it. The squad lineup saw two new faces Majeed Ashimeru and Inaki Williams introduced for Elisha Owusu and Jordan Ayew. The idea behind these tactics was to aid the team create chances, possessing and penetrating their opposition more. The likes of Kudus, Ashimeru, and Partey blessed with the abilities to make something out of nothing were bestowed with those mandates. Kudus has 4 shots, missed 3 big chances, and assisted Alidu Seidu’s goal, Partey’s on the hand was nothing bar desirable, Goals (0), Scoring frequency (0 min), Goals per game (0.0), Shots per game (0.0), Shots on target per game (0.0) Big chances missed (0). An Achilles heel that needs a panacea.
Lack of Urgency
I watched the two games the Black Stars played against Angola and Niger and one thing I kept asking myself and the many gathered was if they enjoyed the team play. The growing discontent centered on the lack of urgency with the way the boys strolled the ball on the field. Largely, it was as though, they were training amongst themselves. The kind of forward passes you would expect, from defense, and midfielders to the attackers was non-existent. A series of sideways passes, under-hit or over-hit passes, was the pattern of the game much to the frustration of the fans at the stadiums and beyond. The boys may not understand the mantle on the leads, a rude awakening of this subpar performance should weigh heavily on their heads as they journey to their various clubs and labor to slumber in their beds at night.
Loss of Concentration
In yet another game we concede at the dearth of it. What is happening to our beloved Black Stars? I recount the memories of our AFCON 2023 quest. In our opening fixture against Cape Verde, we conceded in the 91st minute, in our 2-2 draw with Egypt, we conceded in the 76th minute and then in our final group game against Mozambique, we conceded in the 91st and 94th minutes respectively. Moving on, we played Nigeria in a friendly game, and we conceded in the 85th minute, Uganda beat us in the 84th minute then against C.A.R. in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers we conceded our final goal in the 91st. In the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, Angola at the Baba Yara conceded in the 93rd minute and 80th minute against Niger. This trend of concessions of goals is worrisome and it beats my imagination if there are well-thought game management tactics and instructions that are relayed to our boys. Otto has to be up and doing.
Revisit the Basics
One thing we have lost sight of is the fact that we have discarded what used to work for us some gloriously years ago. In past times, we relied heavily on the grassroots as a production hub to feed our main national team setups. I remember years past, when Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, John Painstil, Derek Boateng, Laryea Kingson, and Asamoah Gyan served as the fulcrum of the BlackStars for a prolonged number of years. This team aided the BlackStars to two World Cups (Germany & South Africa), two AFCON second places, and a 3rd place in the last decade but sadly there has been a slide in our fortunes, ousted in the round of 16 in 2019, two group stage exits in 2021 & 2023. These trends have culminated in heightened pressure on how football has been managed in the last decade.
READ MORE: WW20 Black Princesses out of World Cup despite New Zealand win
The onus lies on Otto Addo, the technical team, management body to give the playing body the needed support to overturn the dire situation they find themselves in with four games yet to play for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
