Afcon decider is probably a right assessment for Ghana’s game against Algeria today. A make or break match for Head Coach Avram Grant, maybe a little less so, if the GFA are to be believed.
Either way, today ‘s game against Algeria is a must-win. A positive result is even more important given the Black Stars’ woeful second half, against Senegal in which they contrived to lose 3 and then 1 very useful point.
But it is of course the Black Stars. Would it really be them without a little panic once in a while?
The players have been saying the right things this week.; we are prepared, we must take our chances – basically lesson one of the “how to recover from a loss” book.
And what of Avram Grant? The Israeli has, just this week alone, given the Mongomo pitch and CAF “the eye.”
A lot of analysts think that eye should be focused on other more important things, like his own technical deficiencies.
Here, I point out three key factors grant should consider and which could be the difference between a win or an early exit today.
Possession
39 percent possession after 90 minutes speaks for itself really. Ghana was outplayed in that second-half by Senegal.
Football lore said you can’t win a game without the ball, but Chelsea tore that myth to shreds against Barcelona a few years back. Since that evening, it has been established that it is really what you do with the ball the little time you have it is what matters.
Particularly in the second period, Ghana barely saw the ball. After getting the equalizer, Senegal were relentless oin their attacks. The Ghanaian players, perhaps out of nervousness, kept giving the ball away almost the moment they got it.
Up front, Jordan Ayew and Christian Atsu and the Mubarak Wakaso, when he came on for Atsu, were unable to help their team out being bullied out of challenges they had won comfortably in the first half.
The Ghanaian national team has always been known for its slow, assured build up play in midfield and its control in midfield.
However, Rabiu Mohammed, Agyeman Badu and Andre Ayew in the centre of that midfield were a little too wasteful in midfield and that is something Grant should keep an eye on.
Positioning
What you do with the ball is important but what you do while off it is perhaps even more so. Against Senegal, Ayew and Badu were partnered up with Rabiu in the center of midfield.
However, and it is difficult to blame them really considering how forward thinking both players are, both kept being drawn in to attacking positions leaving Rabiu on his own to deal with a powerful Senegalese midfield and of course he was original.
They fell back a bit after the equalizer when the whole team dropped very deep into their own half. By that time the Senegalese had taken control of the game and were not going to let it go.
The two wing-backs, Harrison Afful and Baba Rahman, in their bid to help out Rabiu kept being drawn to the center and were left exposed on the wings a few times.
The three centre backs, who were obviously not used to the new set up, were very indecisive about whose responsibility it was to cover which end of the last third.
A simple situation would be to revert to the orthodox four-at-the back giving everybody a clear indication as to where they should be. However,[Man United Fans will know this very well], coaches aren’t so keen to drop this most divisive of formations.
Plan B
It is a well known fact that Ghanaian coaches, over the years have stuck by their guns. It is said that when the going gets tough, Ghanaian coaches stay the same.
Against Senegal, when Ghana was dropping deeper and deeper, Grant chose to take out Rabiu and replace him with Afriyie Acquah.
I understand Grant isn’t the most Gung ho coach in the history of football but a more attacking change would surely have pushed back the relentless Senegal attacks.
A big boost for Ghana today is the return of Asamoah Gyan to the team. Whether it makes a big enough difference for Ghana to get the win they need today is another thing. But Avram Grant will see it as a chance to prove his early doubters wrong.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/ Ghana