2013-12-09

Having been drawn alongside Germany, Portugal and the USA in what is already being dubbed the group of death, Ghana will have to be at their very best next summer. We’ll be examining the Black Stars’ World Cup hopes throughout the coming week, starting with an in-depth look at Akwasi Appiah’s defensive options courtesy of Shemek Stephens.

 

Full Backs

Ghana’s more than respectable outings at the highest world stage owe much to a coherent, well-tuned midfield engine that helps power through the deficiencies in other areas on the field. As such the tactical versatility and drive of the quality packed, often congested, midfield has consistently saved the back four from being exploited.

No area has been so volatile as the full back slots – the left-back position has been Ghana’s true Achilles heel from 2006 onwards. None of the respective coaches have been able provide a stable resolution for this conundrum, thus, for instance, Serbian Milovan Rajevas featured the tired legs of 33 year old Bundesliga benchwarmer Hans Sarpei in 2010. Despite Ghana’s rise to international prominence the left back position has remained languid, rarely initiating attacks and even requiring enhanced defensive involvement from wingers and midfielders to stop the area from impairing the team effort.

Conversely the right side of defence has been markedly more stable and gifted with relative depth as well as some up-and-coming youngsters. By necessity right-backs have been considerably more active in overlapping, often offering a decisive input to Ghana’s attacking forays (even more pronounced in significance given that the right wing has been another area in which the team has generally lacked in quality).



Samuel Inkoom and John Paintsil could both struggle to win a place in the squad

The right back stalwart for the previous two World Cups was John Paintsil, a journeyman who has roamed the continents in search of recognition, probably enjoying his best club career stint at Fulham before incoming manager Martin Jol decided to severe ties. Since then his career has gone downhill. He spent a long period clubless and despairing for employment (with a worrisome domestic violence episode to boot) before finally finding footballing refuge in Santos F.C. in the South African Second Division. Unfortunately Paintsil is susceptible to tactical errors and was culpable for several World Cup goals being conceded due to his failure to hold the offside line. Despite a decent cross and a tireless work rate, the aging player seems unlikely to make the third trip to the World Cup, in spite of a recent call-up.

With coach Kwesi Appiah’s no-tolerance policy for non-active footballers (however dubiously enforced in reality), an opening appeared for the two right backs that featured in the 2009 U20 Youth World Cup winning squad. Initially Samuel Inkoom, a no-nonsense defender known for relentlessly overlapping and crossing to the best of his (undeniably limited) capacity, was an almost guaranteed starter. However due to his limbo status at Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, the player might now struggle to grab a spot in Ghana’s final World Cup squad.



Likely starters – Daniel Opare and Harrison Afful

Daniel Opare, a former Real Madrid youth player, now charging up-and-down field in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League for Standard Liege, has consequently slotted into Appiah’s squad. A bona fide speedster (with the stereotypical concurrent lack of technical ability), Opare remains a nightmare for defenders, especially since his crossing has markedly improved during his tenure at one of Belgium’s top clubs. Not renowned for being particularly reliable as a defender and lambasted for the occasional lazy display, Opare has nonetheless been enjoying a monster of a season, averaging over 4 tackles per game for Standard, especially managing to up the ante against top opponents in the Europa League with several highly rated performances. Nonetheless Opare’s over-exuberant, often rash, tackling has proved troublesome in the past, notably during a friendly against Brazil in 2012 when the haphazard full-back managed to pick up two yellows within 45 minutes for persistent fouling.

The starting berth at right back is still far from guaranteed, as Kwesi Appiah places his utmost trust in diminutive 27-year-old Harrison Afful, who plays football for top Tunisian club Esperance. Versatile and defensively strong, Afful lacks the same attacking impetus as Opare but nonetheless offers a much more well-rounded and reliable performance, devoting a more sensibly balanced proportion of time to his attacking and defensive duties. As the best crosser amongst Appiah’s right back options it should be no surprise that Afful remains a safe bet for a full-back slot.

Chances are that both Opare and Afful will feature in Ghana’s starting eleven given the perpetually unresolved issues at left-back and the versatility of the right-footed full-backs. The Opare / Afful combo currently seems to be Appiah’s preferred choice and has been tried and tested with relative success in various key games this year. Experiments such as attempting to play Juventus star Kwadwo Asamoah at left-back or testing Richard Kissi-Boateng from TP Mazembe (Sub-Saharan Africa’s premiere club) have seemingly been ditched by Ghana’s coach, leaving Appiah with two left-footed alternatives: 23-year-old David Nii Addy and 19-year-old Baba Rahman.

After an unsuccessful stint at FC Porto Addy currently features as first-choice left back for Portuguese outfit Vitória Guimarães. A former team-mate of Inkoom and Opare in the golden 2009 U20 Youth World Cup team, Addy possesses the quickness, strength and directness to pose a serious attacking threat, offering a starkly different option to the more restrained and physically inferior Afful. Surprisingly the versatile left-back is yet to really be given a chance to claim a starting spot, despite possibly being Ghana’s most promising left-back option. Addy is defensively astute, offers relatively solid technique and control plus deft crossing ability. Despite widespread fan belief, Addy seems destined spend the World Cup warming the bench whilst nominal right-backs slot into his position. Baba Rahman of Greuther Fürth (relegated to II Bundesliga in 2013-14) is another good bet to make the final squad, but the highly-rated youngster is unlikely to see much action, despite his rise to prominence in Germany as one of his club’s star performers.

Despite the generational changes, this current full back selection is the deepest and by far the most talented Ghana has been able to take to a World Cup. It might be short of household names but Appiah’s choice of full backs looks stronger than ever, especially at left back – Ghana’s perpetual weak spot – where Opare, Afful or potentially Addy are all credible options.

Centre Backs

In both 2006 and 2010 the back-line was marshalled by John Mensah – nickname “The Rock” – believed by various pundits (including former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce) to be a world class defender cursed by persistent back issues that led to a fragmented career (hence his less favorable alternative moniker, “The Glass”). At one time deemed irreplaceable by consecutive Ghana coaches, the clubless national hero and former captain has sadly been an enforced absentee from the Ghana side. His replacements are less prominent squad members than Mensah, offering a degree of competence and top league experience that is unlikely to turn any heads but should prove relatively reliable.

However, as if inheriting the Mensah curse, during September – October all three preferred centre backs were out injured, leaving coach Appiah with little choice but to field a makeshift defence for the make-or-break World Cup qualifiers against African power-house Egypt. With Muntari and Essien working overtime to mop up ahead of the front four, the centre backs thankfully managed to avert disaster. The game nonetheless highlighted a potential issue.



Jonathan Mensah

Given that at least one of the three first-choice central defenders has been injured throughout the campaign Appiah’s preferred pairing remains uncertain. Nonetheless, regardless of the selected starting duo, Ghana’s defence is bound to be characterised by aggressive power-tackling, the efficiency of which is likely to determine the team’s overall success.

Oddly enough John Mensah’s position as the defensive backbone has been assumed by his namesake – Jonathan Mensah (another player from the 2009 Youth World Cup squad). Much skinnier and less physically imposing – albeit taller – than his predecessor, Mensah’s strengths lie with his tactical awareness, quickness and composure. However, such qualities mask a poor tackling record that has seen him concede several penalties both at club and country level. Lately Mensah has been positionally displaced by his club Evian TG and is currently filling in as a temporary right back, but, barring injuries, he is bound to remain a steady presence the middle of Ghana’s back-line. Many pundits took note however of Mensah, when he efficiently marked out Ibrahimovic during the league clash with PSG.

Mensah’s most likely partner will be fellow Ligue 1 defender John Boye (Rennes). Although Boye lacks the same level of foresight as his defensive comrade, he is a superb, albeit tough, tackler and well-rounded athlete with an impressive record of preventing certain goals with last ditch slides and unusually well versed at hooking balls off the line. He is best renowned for his aerial prominence, recording the best heading record in Ligue 1 last year. However, the current season has been an unmitigated disaster with Boye missing over a dozen games through recurrent injury and only now returning back to training.

The remaining defensive option is Isaac Vorsah, formerly of German Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim, currently plying his trade with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. As the team giant his main impact stems from his presence in the box, easily outmuscling most opponents and eager to confront players such as Didier Drogba or Hulk in physical duals, but lacking the defensive finesse to cope with more crafty opponents. Like Boye, Vorsah has also been out of action for most of the season and is only set to return to action early next year.

At 188 cm (6’2”), 185 cm (6’1”) and 193 cm (6’4”) respectively the trio offer a much needed aerial presence, that counters Ghana’s overall height deficiency – Asamoah Gyan and potential midfielder Mohammed Rabiu are the only other team members in the starting XI to measure over 180 cm (6’0” inches) tall.

With all of the mainstay defenders suffering prolonged periods on the sidelines, coach Kwesi Appiah has been forced to experiment at key phases of qualifying, bringing a host of less recognisable names into the team and perhaps offering one or two of them a chance to book a place in the final World Cup squad.

Of those fringe players, 25 year old Eskişehirspor defender Jerry Akaminko seems the likeliest to make the cut. Robust and uncompromising in his tackling, he remains a potential penalty-magnet against top class strikers, but managed a relatively effective defensive display against Egypt. His makeshift partner Rashid Sumaila from South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns looked significantly less composed, shakily warding off Egyptian attacks with an almost reckless approach, which ultimately led to him giving away an unnecessary penalty through defensive naivety. Possibly beginner’s jitters but the performance against Egypt was below the required standard, thus possibly giving room for the untested South African-based duo of hard-tackling Edward Gyimah of SuperSport United and powerhouse Mohammed Awal of Maritzburg United.

Goalkeepers

Richard Kingston – No way back?

For years the defensive line was formed around the trio of John Paintsil, John Mensah and vibrant goal-keeper Richard Kingson. But no longer as their ailing careers have effectively forced Appiah’s hand to search for replacements, including a new man between the sticks. However the 35 year old Kingson, a national legend due to countless make-or-break reflex interventions over the years, hasn’t given up on featuring at a third consecutive World Cup. Indeed, he has recently secured playing time as the first choice keeper at lowly Cypriot side Doxa Katokopias and even earned himself a Ghana call-up. Nonetheless that ship has sailed and it seems unimaginable that Kingson, even after such a long and successful term, will return to man the posts.

With another generational change happening under Kwesi Appiah’s watch, the defensive line will form a new look Ghana. And with this in mind the right pair of hands at the back is necessary to provide a sense of stability to the ever-changing centre back pairing. Current first-choice goalie Fatau Dauda has yet to prove his metal, often flapping or mindlessly punching at harmless crosses and not stamping his authority on the area (largely due to a lack of height), which could be key given the quality of wingers Ghana will face in their group . Albeit possessing reasonable reflexes, positioning and distribution, he has yet to distinguish himself as worthy of the number one jersey. His standing has become even more precarious since his summer move from Ghana to South African giants Orlando Pirates has resulted in him spending the last few months sniffing daises on the side-lines during matches.

Unless Dauda manages to win a starting berth for his club his potential replacements will most likely be tested in spring friendlies. The obvious alternative would be Norwegian-born Adam Kwarasey of Strømsgodset, who already has 18 caps to his name and, at 25, is brimming with confidence after having just been voted best goalkeeper in the Norwegian league. Rumoured to be a target for English Premier League clubs this winter, Kwarasey rates very highly in one-on-ones, has impeccable command of the area and possesses top notch reflexes. Nonetheless some of Kwarasey’s performances for Ghana have been less than confident and he’s often faltered when making decisions, while his communication with defenders has left much to be desired – a problem that was attributed to him being a ‘foreigner’, but could have been more attributable to the overall chaos caused by changes in the Ghanaian back-line.

The third choice goalkeeper will likely be a straight choice between Spanish Segunda Division Brimah Razak and South African-based goalkeeper Daniel Agyei. Razak, who plays club football at CD Guadalajara, has had two friendly appearances for Ghana: one stunning outing against Turkey and a forgettable howler-defined showing versus Japan. Nonetheless lack of playing time at club level for the 26 year old will likely limit his chances of making the cut. Meanwhile Agyei, another of the 2009 U20 Youth World Cup winning team is regarded as Ghana’s penalty expert, so should extra-time come and go during the World Cup, don’t be surprised to see him being subbed on.

The post Ghana Week Part 1: The Defence appeared first on Football Betting Odds.

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