GRANT STAKES PRIDE IN HIS STARS No need for panic stations yet. Ghana has been here before. It comes with the AFCON territory. Recount the smuggling of the trophy-winning party to Tunisia 50 years ago. The chopping and changing with respect to our participation (Libya 1982). The brush with injuries beforehand (Mali 2002 – Angola 2010). Most of these subplots are a good augury for the team. Conversely, others lead the team to come apart at the seams (Tunisia 1994 & Egypt 2006). Avram Grant named his squad last night. It may be devoid of many stellar names like the days of yore. But, mark you, the AFCON is a great leveller. The vaunted golden generation of Ivory Coast have flattered to deceive since 2006. It has been downhill for South Africa, Ghana’s arch-nemesis at the AFCON, since their home triumph in 1996. This could be a boon for the team to come up trumps. Now, let’s get to the nuts and bolts in respect of the squad. The squad appears thin on the ground at the fullback realm. As par for the course, this is a tournament fraught with injuries, suspensions, warts and all. Have any lessons been learnt at all? Let’s rake up Michael Essien’s dalliance in central defence after losing John Mensah through a red card in 2008. Kwadwo Asamoah’s shuffling into the left back position. The rest, they say, is history. Still glued to the defence. Who’s the commander? Who is John Mensah’s heir-apparent? John Boye was a shoo-in for that until he lapsed into a rut. Jonathan Mensah, by default, could have kept a tight rein but somewhat hasn’t. That has led to a rope of sand in most games we have played since John Mensah’s quasi-exit. A deep-seated role assigned by Avram Grant could do the team good. Ghana is known to possess an Aladdin’s cave of midfielders. In this squad, they (in theory) look well-decked. The only bane seems to be Christian Atsu. An off-form Atsu in the squad? Will he be the same as the one we saw against Lesotho? This is the national team and may bring out the best in a player. The Dzekos, Arshavins have shown it before. Let’s hope against hope that he steals a march on us all. Upfield, are we going to see a Gyan-Otoo/Gyan-Appiah/Gyan-Jordan combo? The latter is within the realms of possibility. But a blunt Jordan isn’t what we need. The first two may also founder on chemistry. This is a national team. You make do with what you have. Avram Grant has just filled a breach and beginning to bring his organizational skills to bear. It will still be the oohs-and-aahs watching the forwards in their stride. Just don’t discount them yet. The forthcoming days will see football fans in the country stake their positions out on the team and the knives possibly honed for scathing action. It won’t be a cakewalk in Equatorial Guinea, but don’t rule out the sight of a moonwalk in February.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 09:01:18 +0000
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