Africa-Press – Ghana. Despite being nine-time African Cup of Nations finalists, winning four, Ghana are relative newcomers to the FIFA World Cup. First qualifying for the prestigious tournament in 2006, the Black Stars then competed in two further World Cups in 2010 and 2014 before failing to qualify for the 2018 edition.
Bringing the youngest team at the 2006 tournament, Ghana progressed beyond the group stage but were beaten by Brazil in the round of 16. The 2010 World Cup was the first ever held in Africa and Ghana’s inspiring performances in South Africa led to them becoming only the third African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
In a heart-wrenchingly cruel quarter-final fixture against Uruguay, the Black Stars were knocked out in a penalty shootout following a controversial goal-preventing handball from Uruguay striker Luis Suárez. In 2014, Ghana registered just one point in a tough group with Germany, Portugal, and the United States.
Ghana’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have been far from ideal. Milovan Rajevac, the manager that guided Ghana to their historic quarter-final in 2010, returned to manage the Black Stars in September 2021. However, the Serbian was sacked in January 2022 after a dreadful AFCON campaign. He was replaced by Otto Addo, who appeared as a player at Ghana’s first-ever World Cup in 2006.
Rather unexpectedly, Addo’s Ghana beat a strong Nigeria squad on away goals in the World Cup qualification play-offs to earn a spot in Qatar. The Black Stars’ reward is the opportunity to get revenge on Uruguay, alongside facing Portugal’s talents and Heung-min Son’s South Korea in the group stage.
Another obstacle but overall positive for Ghana is the recent influx of dual nationals to the squad. Improving the quality of players available for Addo to select, the new players lack experience and cohesion with the team and international football ahead of the World Cup.
The English-born duo of Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey and Bristol City’s Antoine Semenyo have joined the squad along with Club Brugge defender Denis Odoi. Hamburg attacker Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer and Karlsruher centre-back Stephan Ambrosius were both Germany under-21 internationals prior to their recent Ghana call-ups.
Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu has finally joined the Black Stars after years of declining call-ups to focus on his club career. However, the most notable recent inclusion is Athletic Club’s Iñaki Williams. Despite being capped by the Spanish national team, Iñaki declared to play for Ghana at the World Cup, unlike his younger brother Nico, who selected Spain.
This tactical analysis in the form of a scout report will look at how Otto Addo will attempt to mould this new-look squad into a team capable of progressing out of their challenging World Cup group. Predicted Starting XI
For More News And Analysis About Ghana Follow Africa-Press
