LESSONS FROM THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL 1ST LEGS:
Lesson 1: THE ESSENTIAL ALWAYS MATTERS THAN THE PLEASANT.
Flamboyance pleases the fans but does it always get you the results? No but essential things will and Manchester United have showed this very well so far in Europe and in their semi final first leg against Schalke they underlined the assertion.Schalke may have been poor.United may have dominated but never at a point did the Red Devils take their foot off the gas until they got their two goals.They kept doing the simple things and those are the elements which gave them the push to win the game.
The performance was a sharp contrast to Man United's away games in Europe in the last 4 years or so where they've displayed a certain sense of disrespect for their opponents and sometimes,wrong team selection from Sir Alex Ferguson and ultimately,they've lost those games. Lille,AC Milan,Celtic and Benfica quickly come to mind.
However,now they've kept to simplicity and it has been genius.
Lesson 2:The Champions League punishes poor play.
So many teams have learnt this lesson the hard way in times past and last night,Schalke made themselves another example for pundits,journalists and fans to use in their deliveries.The Royal Blues fizzled out too quickly and they looked as though they forgot why they were there in the first place.They suddenly develped an aversion to pressing,marking even defending.Matip looked poor in central defence,Jurado and Baumjohann didn't work hard enough and Farfan was only interested when he had the ball.For a side coached by the ''Professor'',Ralf Ragnick,they played as if they had not read the lecture notes at all.
Lesson 3:Too much hype spoils the El Clasico
The trailers,the records,the players,the coaches,what he or the next man said.All these elements are beautifully woven as the backdrop to a football match.Yes,a football match even if it's between Barcelona and Real Madrid.Yes,they may have clout,history,tradition,rivalry, and even the Special One but it's still a football match but the Champions League version of this drama was anything but.Silly fouls,brilliant acting classes by certain players and the odd whistle and crad here and there all added to the borefest.Maybe if we treated the ''El Clasico'' like just any other game,we will all get our money's worth and the players will show us what they can really do.We deserve that and the Champions League demands it.It's as simple as that.
Lesson 3:Lionel Messi is class.
In a game where anti-football was winning all the awards,Lionel Andres Messi swooped in to take the most important award:our thoughts,comments and imaginations.His first goal was predatory;his second,masterful.The little Argentine scored his 52nd second goal of the season tonight and for me,it's not the goals which put him in a different world.It's his decision making.How he finds the pass,how he runs into space and how he picks the exact moment to strike should be studied by young players all over the world.The young man will retire with all the records at his feet and his name etched into football history and Barcelona's stories for generations.Yes,he hasn't won anything with Argentina yet but in the Champions League,he's done what mortals can only dream about.
Lesson 4:We all know who Neuer is now.
Many may have seen Neuer at the World Cup in South Africa and even in the Bundesliga but he chose the perfect time to squeeze his name on a coach's shopping list.Last night against Man United was the opportune moment and like Jack Sparrow,he recognised it.His umpteen saves kept Schalke in a tie they were never at and trust me,his value has just gone up by a few more millions.Maybe pounds,dollars or euros. However,his performance was just the one many saw but it wasn't as stupendous as what he gave in the 07/08 season at Sevilla when he saved Schalke in regulation time,extra time and in the penalty-shoot out.He even got a YouTube video for that.We may have forgotten that but yesterday,Manuel Neuer became everybody's dream goalkeeper.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Ghana football:Lovely box,Empty core
From the outside,Ghana football looks like it's heading for the high heavens and everywhere else beyond it.People are still talking about the wonderful display the Black Stars put up at the 2010 World Cup and how ready they are to challenge the world in 2014.That assertion was certainly underlined with a huge marker when the Stars gave a brilliant show against the 3 Lions at Wembley in a recent international friendly.Now,players like Asamoah Gyan,Andre Ayew,Kevin-Prince Boateng,Kwadwo Asamoah are being talked about as the stars to look out for in the future.Great news,isn't?So we can all presume that the buiding blocks are being laid right and the essentials are in the right place,right? The sad truth is a huge no.
Since January this year,it's been tale after tale of qualification or tournament failures for all our national teams.The local Black Stars failed to gain a point or a win at the CHAN in Sudan 2 years on from making the final in Cote d'Ivoire.Gutting.
The Olympic team,the Black Meteors couldn't catch the flight to the London 2012 Olympic Games after being outsmarted by Sudan in a two-legged tie and when we thought the Black Queens could give us an excuse to go London next year,they allowed a late Ethiopian goal in Accra to hand the ticket to an Ethiopian team we beat 4 years ago.Earlier on,the Black Queens capitulated at the African Women's Championship and got thrown out at the first round.Further down the line,the U 17 team,the Black Starlets got haunted by our longtime ghost and jinx,the penalty shootout, in a tie in Senegal to lose out on the African U 17 Championships and the World Championship.
What next? We don't know but how come is what we be asking ourselves.
Since 2005,we've given all our love,time and money to the Black Stars.Huge sponsorship deals,crazy bonuses and massive support drives have been either fixed or made to give the Stars the shine they deserve and honestly,the football they've played for the last 5 or so merits all these perks and even more.However,will it hurt if we looked at the other national teams the same way?
Football development should never experience segregation.Never.All the powerhouses of world football have almost always developed their senior sides together with all the other teams at the same time.While Brazil seeks to boost the Selecao,their women's team have now become a fixture at all levels of competition and the male junior sides are almost always present at all the youth championships and it's just one example of the simple yet effective being path being taken by other countries.
It's high time we looked at getting things right in this country.Without development,talent remains just that and the senior national team we all love and drool about will never exist.
To borrow the line from a song my mentor,Mr.Christopher Opoku loves so much,we'll soon have ''no wheels on our wagon'' if things don't change.
Since January this year,it's been tale after tale of qualification or tournament failures for all our national teams.The local Black Stars failed to gain a point or a win at the CHAN in Sudan 2 years on from making the final in Cote d'Ivoire.Gutting.
The Olympic team,the Black Meteors couldn't catch the flight to the London 2012 Olympic Games after being outsmarted by Sudan in a two-legged tie and when we thought the Black Queens could give us an excuse to go London next year,they allowed a late Ethiopian goal in Accra to hand the ticket to an Ethiopian team we beat 4 years ago.Earlier on,the Black Queens capitulated at the African Women's Championship and got thrown out at the first round.Further down the line,the U 17 team,the Black Starlets got haunted by our longtime ghost and jinx,the penalty shootout, in a tie in Senegal to lose out on the African U 17 Championships and the World Championship.
What next? We don't know but how come is what we be asking ourselves.
Since 2005,we've given all our love,time and money to the Black Stars.Huge sponsorship deals,crazy bonuses and massive support drives have been either fixed or made to give the Stars the shine they deserve and honestly,the football they've played for the last 5 or so merits all these perks and even more.However,will it hurt if we looked at the other national teams the same way?
Football development should never experience segregation.Never.All the powerhouses of world football have almost always developed their senior sides together with all the other teams at the same time.While Brazil seeks to boost the Selecao,their women's team have now become a fixture at all levels of competition and the male junior sides are almost always present at all the youth championships and it's just one example of the simple yet effective being path being taken by other countries.
It's high time we looked at getting things right in this country.Without development,talent remains just that and the senior national team we all love and drool about will never exist.
To borrow the line from a song my mentor,Mr.Christopher Opoku loves so much,we'll soon have ''no wheels on our wagon'' if things don't change.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Lessons from the UEFA Champions League (6 April 2011)
Lesson 1:Discretion is a better part of valour
Last year, Inter Milan showed all of us how to play against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Park the bus or aeroplane or anything that will stop their passes from finding their targets and create goals. It took a lot of physical and mental toughness but eventually,Mourinho's men pulled it off albeit with a goal in their net. So what was Shakhtar Donestsk thinking when they decided to open up and atack Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight? Being brave is not running gung ho at your opponent but it's rather being sensible in your approach and knowing how to get a lot of things done right and Shakhtar did get a lot of things wrong. Their defending showed a lot of carelesness and it makes me wonder the kind of defending being done in Ukraine if Shakhtar are the top side there.Maybe a harsh and baseless judgement but what more can I say when all of Barcelona's goals were scored from schoolboy defending?Maybe an indication of why Chygrynskiy never cut it in Spain.
Mr.Lucescu,your ''brave'' plan didn't come off.Even the great Mourinho was blitzed at the Camp Nou in the "El Clasico".
Lesson 2:Chelsea are lacking something
In March,Chelsea produced a sparkling second half performance against Manchester United to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the EPL. 3 or so weeks after that,the two teams meet again at the same venue and just like in the first meeting,Wayne Rooney put United in the lead but Chelsea didn't blaze the second half like they did in the first game. United still looked ok after the break and even though,Rafael went off with an injury and Valencia was thrown into an unfamiliar right back role,Chelsea never really looked like grabbing an equaliser.What was different tonight? David Luiz? The Drogba-Torres combination? Zhirkov's appearance on the starting eleven in place of Malouda? Whatever it is,the Blues looked blue tonight and for a large part of the current season. One cannot out a finger what the problems are but one can clearly see that the X-factor is no more there and that's a fact.
Lesson 3:Football brings Karma to life
After the EPL meeting between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge,elements like Martin Atkinson,unseen fouls,a bad penalty call,The FA and Respect for referees and these were things coming from the red corner of Manchester United. However,tonight,it's the blue corner of Chelsea that are voicing their share of complaints. Ramires and Torres' penalty claims will be the talk of days and referee Alberto Mallenco will be cursed by Blues' fans for not giving them.
For United fans,they'll look on and split their sides with the reminder that Martin Atkinson played a worse refereeing role at the same venue.
Lesson 4: Love him or hate hate him,Wayne Rooney's football is talking for him
This season has been bad for Wayne Rooney.From the dizzying heights of 34 goals last season, the Croxteth-born striker has fallen down to the ground with a thud.However,instead of staying there,he decided to ease himself back into the pages of newspapers and the minds of fans with some hardworking footballing displays over the past 4 or so months. From his headed goal at West Brom to tonight's finish at Stamford Bridge, Rooney has played some great football in between.His 2 goals against Aston Villa showed that his scoring touch had never left him. He controlled United's display against Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford by coming into midfield and supplying delighful passes upfront.One of which set up Hernandez's header which Almunia parried for Fabio to stab home. Another assist came in the game against Marseille and this time, for Hernandez and this style of play highlighted a great trait of reinvention on a player's part Last weekend's brilliant hat-trick at Upton Park is probably the last step in Rooney's redemption journey but he also reminded us that he's still the same old Rooney by swearing into the tv camera after thus third goal.Maybe he was too pumped up and it all came out.However,aside this insignificant distraction,Rooney has made a huge point for himself.He may be brash,raw or even bad-tempered but he is a great footballer.
Last year, Inter Milan showed all of us how to play against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Park the bus or aeroplane or anything that will stop their passes from finding their targets and create goals. It took a lot of physical and mental toughness but eventually,Mourinho's men pulled it off albeit with a goal in their net. So what was Shakhtar Donestsk thinking when they decided to open up and atack Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight? Being brave is not running gung ho at your opponent but it's rather being sensible in your approach and knowing how to get a lot of things done right and Shakhtar did get a lot of things wrong. Their defending showed a lot of carelesness and it makes me wonder the kind of defending being done in Ukraine if Shakhtar are the top side there.Maybe a harsh and baseless judgement but what more can I say when all of Barcelona's goals were scored from schoolboy defending?Maybe an indication of why Chygrynskiy never cut it in Spain.
Mr.Lucescu,your ''brave'' plan didn't come off.Even the great Mourinho was blitzed at the Camp Nou in the "El Clasico".
Lesson 2:Chelsea are lacking something
In March,Chelsea produced a sparkling second half performance against Manchester United to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the EPL. 3 or so weeks after that,the two teams meet again at the same venue and just like in the first meeting,Wayne Rooney put United in the lead but Chelsea didn't blaze the second half like they did in the first game. United still looked ok after the break and even though,Rafael went off with an injury and Valencia was thrown into an unfamiliar right back role,Chelsea never really looked like grabbing an equaliser.What was different tonight? David Luiz? The Drogba-Torres combination? Zhirkov's appearance on the starting eleven in place of Malouda? Whatever it is,the Blues looked blue tonight and for a large part of the current season. One cannot out a finger what the problems are but one can clearly see that the X-factor is no more there and that's a fact.
Lesson 3:Football brings Karma to life
After the EPL meeting between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge,elements like Martin Atkinson,unseen fouls,a bad penalty call,The FA and Respect for referees and these were things coming from the red corner of Manchester United. However,tonight,it's the blue corner of Chelsea that are voicing their share of complaints. Ramires and Torres' penalty claims will be the talk of days and referee Alberto Mallenco will be cursed by Blues' fans for not giving them.
For United fans,they'll look on and split their sides with the reminder that Martin Atkinson played a worse refereeing role at the same venue.
Lesson 4: Love him or hate hate him,Wayne Rooney's football is talking for him
This season has been bad for Wayne Rooney.From the dizzying heights of 34 goals last season, the Croxteth-born striker has fallen down to the ground with a thud.However,instead of staying there,he decided to ease himself back into the pages of newspapers and the minds of fans with some hardworking footballing displays over the past 4 or so months. From his headed goal at West Brom to tonight's finish at Stamford Bridge, Rooney has played some great football in between.His 2 goals against Aston Villa showed that his scoring touch had never left him. He controlled United's display against Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford by coming into midfield and supplying delighful passes upfront.One of which set up Hernandez's header which Almunia parried for Fabio to stab home. Another assist came in the game against Marseille and this time, for Hernandez and this style of play highlighted a great trait of reinvention on a player's part Last weekend's brilliant hat-trick at Upton Park is probably the last step in Rooney's redemption journey but he also reminded us that he's still the same old Rooney by swearing into the tv camera after thus third goal.Maybe he was too pumped up and it all came out.However,aside this insignificant distraction,Rooney has made a huge point for himself.He may be brash,raw or even bad-tempered but he is a great footballer.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Lessons from the UEFA Champions League (5 April 2011)
Lesson 1: Never believe the opposing coach especially if he's Jose Mourinho
Harry Redknapp may have seen this coming but I'm sure he never expected this. After being declared fit, unfit and then 50-50 by Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo was unleashed against Spurs to maximum effect. His pace and movement always meant that Real Madrid were going to be tough to handle and it all stemmed from Mourinho's interesting game of "Simon Says" played on Redknapp. Harry said he was preparing for Ronaldo but it seems he wasn't too sure if the Portiguese attacker would turn up tonight or not. And he even allowed Marcelo to be sneaked in through the back door. The full back's direct running caused Spurs so many problems including a delicious cross for Adebayor to head home past Gomes. Harry was surely done for tonight by Mourinho.
Lesson 2: Flirting with the Champion's League is only for the brave in heart
After Spurs' sensational performance against Inter Milan in the group stages over tow legs brought joy to their followers and a breeze of fresh air into Europe's elite club competition. However, in charming all of us, Spurs bit the tempting-looking apple of the competition and now, they risk being thrown out of the Garden of the Champion's League when the return leg comes calling. The euphoria of playing so well in Europe blurred the harsh reality that the competition is draining. Thus, failure to manage resources in a not-so-large squad like Spurs can be a difficult thing to do and that can be the unmaking of teams who have decided to get too indulged with the Champion's League especially when they're meeting it for the very first time. Laurent Blanc's young Bourdeaux side of last season captured imaginations until regular campaigners,Lyon knocked them back down to Earth and burst their bubble so hard,Marseille crept in to with the Ligue 1 after looking at Bordeaux's dust trail all the way.
Lesson 3:Leonardo needs to learn how to defend
After last year's inspiring run to the "Orellano" (The Big-Eared trophy) last season, Inter now look like a total mess and even though Rafael Benitez might have had a stinker with them day one to six months into this new season, Leonardo's appointment has seen Inter show some defending which will heavily annoy the great Helenio Herrera. Rannochia and Chivu have looked poor but in last Saturday's derby and tonight's game, the two looked as though they were in the wrong profession and who's to blame? Leonardo. The Brazilian's reign at AC Milan was characterised by bad defending and some poor midfield play especially on the defensive side. They allowed Farfan to drift in from wide areas and pass the ball for fun. One such pass led to Raul's goal to swing thie tie 3-2 in Schalke's favour. Now,Inter must score 4 unanswered goals. Very impossible all because Leonardo's hasn't created good defensive departments in his teams. However,maybe they can perform a miracle cooked up by the Madonna of Milan.
Lesson 4: The Champions' League will always be a mystery
Ever since the European Cup became the Champion's League,defending champions have not defended their crown.Dortmund,Real Madrid,Manchester United,Barcelona (and maybe Inter Milan) have all failed to hold on to their Champion's League crown after winning them. Dortmund didn't get close after their '97 win,Madrid lost out too only to throw Manchester United out in 2000 after the Red Devils' famous turnaround against Munich in '99.The Whites went on to win it in Paris but they lost out the next season and tonight,with such a heavy home loss against Schalke,Inter look set to be eliminated too just a year after brilliantly knocking out 2009 champions,Barcelona.
Harry Redknapp may have seen this coming but I'm sure he never expected this. After being declared fit, unfit and then 50-50 by Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo was unleashed against Spurs to maximum effect. His pace and movement always meant that Real Madrid were going to be tough to handle and it all stemmed from Mourinho's interesting game of "Simon Says" played on Redknapp. Harry said he was preparing for Ronaldo but it seems he wasn't too sure if the Portiguese attacker would turn up tonight or not. And he even allowed Marcelo to be sneaked in through the back door. The full back's direct running caused Spurs so many problems including a delicious cross for Adebayor to head home past Gomes. Harry was surely done for tonight by Mourinho.
Lesson 2: Flirting with the Champion's League is only for the brave in heart
After Spurs' sensational performance against Inter Milan in the group stages over tow legs brought joy to their followers and a breeze of fresh air into Europe's elite club competition. However, in charming all of us, Spurs bit the tempting-looking apple of the competition and now, they risk being thrown out of the Garden of the Champion's League when the return leg comes calling. The euphoria of playing so well in Europe blurred the harsh reality that the competition is draining. Thus, failure to manage resources in a not-so-large squad like Spurs can be a difficult thing to do and that can be the unmaking of teams who have decided to get too indulged with the Champion's League especially when they're meeting it for the very first time. Laurent Blanc's young Bourdeaux side of last season captured imaginations until regular campaigners,Lyon knocked them back down to Earth and burst their bubble so hard,Marseille crept in to with the Ligue 1 after looking at Bordeaux's dust trail all the way.
Lesson 3:Leonardo needs to learn how to defend
After last year's inspiring run to the "Orellano" (The Big-Eared trophy) last season, Inter now look like a total mess and even though Rafael Benitez might have had a stinker with them day one to six months into this new season, Leonardo's appointment has seen Inter show some defending which will heavily annoy the great Helenio Herrera. Rannochia and Chivu have looked poor but in last Saturday's derby and tonight's game, the two looked as though they were in the wrong profession and who's to blame? Leonardo. The Brazilian's reign at AC Milan was characterised by bad defending and some poor midfield play especially on the defensive side. They allowed Farfan to drift in from wide areas and pass the ball for fun. One such pass led to Raul's goal to swing thie tie 3-2 in Schalke's favour. Now,Inter must score 4 unanswered goals. Very impossible all because Leonardo's hasn't created good defensive departments in his teams. However,maybe they can perform a miracle cooked up by the Madonna of Milan.
Lesson 4: The Champions' League will always be a mystery
Ever since the European Cup became the Champion's League,defending champions have not defended their crown.Dortmund,Real Madrid,Manchester United,Barcelona (and maybe Inter Milan) have all failed to hold on to their Champion's League crown after winning them. Dortmund didn't get close after their '97 win,Madrid lost out too only to throw Manchester United out in 2000 after the Red Devils' famous turnaround against Munich in '99.The Whites went on to win it in Paris but they lost out the next season and tonight,with such a heavy home loss against Schalke,Inter look set to be eliminated too just a year after brilliantly knocking out 2009 champions,Barcelona.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Back from the brink
Everyone will remember 29th March,2011 as the day Ghana became the first African country to avoid defeat at Wembley against the 3 Lions of England. Everyone will remember Asamoah Gyan's 91st minute leveller to send 20,000 fans at the ground and the millions back home in Ghana into absolute delirium.
However,this result had looked unlikely 5 minutes into the game. England led by Gareth Barry in place of John Terry outplayed Ghana all over the pitch and looked as though,the 3 Lions would roar so hard the Stars would not shine. Jack Wilshere roamed the midfield leaving Anthony Annan in the shade while Stewart Downing terrorised Lee Addy for the first half in a constant barrage of attacks giving many Stars fans worrying moments. In truth,the Black Stars looked sluggish and out of the contest and deservedly, England took the lead through Andy Carroll after Downing had knocked a Wilshere pass down for the Liverpool man to slam home past a stranded Richard Kingson.The big,burly striker had occupied John mensah and Issac Vorsah busy all night with his tough approach and his relentless nature of play.It was a huge body blow as Dominic Adiyiah had missed a glorious one-on-one with Joe Hart very early in the half after being put through by Gyan.
The second half saw Ghana coach,Goran Stevanovic introduce some of his charges he and inadvertendly, these changes saw the Black Stars lift up their game and they created more chances with Gyan missing the most glaring after being put through and all he could do was to smash it into the side netting albeit from an acute angle. With England being restricted to fewer chances,Ghana pressed with Gyan leading the line and he was rewarded with a goal made out of pure genius. He bamboozled Joleon Lescott in the area and shot left-footed past Joe Hart to save the game for the Black Stars.
Persoanlly,the game presented some important positives for us to build on for the future.The gaffer,Goran Stevanovic,showed that he could see faults and rectify them. He brought off Lee Addy when he was being fried by Downing and he replaced him with a more stable Daniel Opare and his choice of Derek Boaten gave us calmness and ball retention in the middle of the park and this allowed the Stars to press hard for the goal. For all his work,Muntari never gave us the width we needed and Andre Ayew came on at the right time when the Sunderland man had expired to give us more steel down the left flank and keep Ashely Young at bay in the second half.
The downsides of tonight's performance are that:
1) we should be on the lookout for a permanent left back. Lee Addy clearly lacked the pace and positional awareness to take on a decent winger and he was the outlet through which England attacked in the first half
2)The team started slowly and in a game with very tough side,the Black Stars will a lot to think about. We failed to show a clear sense of urgency in the early parts of the game and in effect,our pressing was poor and this allowed the English to play the ball out of defence and dictate the pace of play.
However,the plaudits must go to Asamoah Gyan. His constant running meant our attack was kept alive and he dropped deep to help the build up when the ball was slow in getting upfield and his goal was a just reward.A goal that has signalled how important he is and how he has metamorphosed from a budding talent to a player who is ready to mix it up with the big boys.
TEAM LINEUPS
England: Hart, Johnson (Lescott 46), Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Milner, Barry, Wilshere (Jarvis 69), Downing, Carroll (Defoe 59), Young (Welbeck 81).
Subs Not Used: Green, Parker, Crouch, Bent, Carson.
Booked: Milner.
Goals: Carroll 43.
Ghana: Kingson, Pantsil, Vorsah (Jonathan Mensah 46), John Mensah, Lee Addy (Opare 46), Adiyah (Tagoe 69), Annan (Derek Boateng 46), Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah (Inkoom 83), Muntari (Ayew 59), Gyan.
Subs Not Used: Adjei, David Addy, Kumordzi, Clottey, Sowah.
Booked: Derek Boateng, Ayew.
Goals: Gyan 90.
Att: 80,102.
Ref: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).
However,this result had looked unlikely 5 minutes into the game. England led by Gareth Barry in place of John Terry outplayed Ghana all over the pitch and looked as though,the 3 Lions would roar so hard the Stars would not shine. Jack Wilshere roamed the midfield leaving Anthony Annan in the shade while Stewart Downing terrorised Lee Addy for the first half in a constant barrage of attacks giving many Stars fans worrying moments. In truth,the Black Stars looked sluggish and out of the contest and deservedly, England took the lead through Andy Carroll after Downing had knocked a Wilshere pass down for the Liverpool man to slam home past a stranded Richard Kingson.The big,burly striker had occupied John mensah and Issac Vorsah busy all night with his tough approach and his relentless nature of play.It was a huge body blow as Dominic Adiyiah had missed a glorious one-on-one with Joe Hart very early in the half after being put through by Gyan.
The second half saw Ghana coach,Goran Stevanovic introduce some of his charges he and inadvertendly, these changes saw the Black Stars lift up their game and they created more chances with Gyan missing the most glaring after being put through and all he could do was to smash it into the side netting albeit from an acute angle. With England being restricted to fewer chances,Ghana pressed with Gyan leading the line and he was rewarded with a goal made out of pure genius. He bamboozled Joleon Lescott in the area and shot left-footed past Joe Hart to save the game for the Black Stars.
Persoanlly,the game presented some important positives for us to build on for the future.The gaffer,Goran Stevanovic,showed that he could see faults and rectify them. He brought off Lee Addy when he was being fried by Downing and he replaced him with a more stable Daniel Opare and his choice of Derek Boaten gave us calmness and ball retention in the middle of the park and this allowed the Stars to press hard for the goal. For all his work,Muntari never gave us the width we needed and Andre Ayew came on at the right time when the Sunderland man had expired to give us more steel down the left flank and keep Ashely Young at bay in the second half.
The downsides of tonight's performance are that:
1) we should be on the lookout for a permanent left back. Lee Addy clearly lacked the pace and positional awareness to take on a decent winger and he was the outlet through which England attacked in the first half
2)The team started slowly and in a game with very tough side,the Black Stars will a lot to think about. We failed to show a clear sense of urgency in the early parts of the game and in effect,our pressing was poor and this allowed the English to play the ball out of defence and dictate the pace of play.
However,the plaudits must go to Asamoah Gyan. His constant running meant our attack was kept alive and he dropped deep to help the build up when the ball was slow in getting upfield and his goal was a just reward.A goal that has signalled how important he is and how he has metamorphosed from a budding talent to a player who is ready to mix it up with the big boys.
TEAM LINEUPS
England: Hart, Johnson (Lescott 46), Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Milner, Barry, Wilshere (Jarvis 69), Downing, Carroll (Defoe 59), Young (Welbeck 81).
Subs Not Used: Green, Parker, Crouch, Bent, Carson.
Booked: Milner.
Goals: Carroll 43.
Ghana: Kingson, Pantsil, Vorsah (Jonathan Mensah 46), John Mensah, Lee Addy (Opare 46), Adiyah (Tagoe 69), Annan (Derek Boateng 46), Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah (Inkoom 83), Muntari (Ayew 59), Gyan.
Subs Not Used: Adjei, David Addy, Kumordzi, Clottey, Sowah.
Booked: Derek Boateng, Ayew.
Goals: Gyan 90.
Att: 80,102.
Ref: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).
Friday, March 25, 2011
Prioritise right,Ghana.
Any tie involving our dear Black Stars and any other national team is always an improtant game and it is even more important as the next of such important games is againt the 3 Lions of England. Yes, I mean England. The same England John Terry captains, the same England Wayne Rooney plays for and the same England who break hearts (including mine) at major international competitions. That's huge,folks.Real huge.
However,this England vs Ghana should take the back seat and why should it? It's simply because we have a masssive game in Brazzaville against Les Diables Noirs of Congo in an AFCON 2012 qualifier on Sunday. A game which could have huge repercurssions on whether we'll be at the competition in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year and possibly fulfill the head gaffer's dream of winning the continental trophy for the first time since 1982 but it seems the bright lights and the lure of London has led some of the top football officials to forget this simple scenario and they have been queueing up at the British High Commission to get visas for the London trip and fortunately (or unfortunately dependin on how you look at it), they were refused.
Maybe we need to be reminded of how crucial this weekend's game is. After picking up a point against Sudan at home in the last round, we opened the door for Sudan and Congo to catch up and put the Stars under pressure and should it all go wrong in Brazzaville, we will fall 3 points behind Congo and then we put ourselves at the mercy of playing a series of must-win games to close the gap and face the possibility of ''mathematics'' at the end of the series. Furthermore, this game is worth 3 points. 3 points which can improve our FIFA ranking and give us the opportunity of playing world class opposition later on in the year. I do not think this is too difficult for our football ''elders'' to understand, is it? Well, for some it is and it is the reason why they hopped up and down and went visa chasing.
In my opinion, this is a snap shot of how we sometimes look at issues in this country. There is a perpetual failure to do what is necessary and right and instead we enjoy labouring tirelessly for what seems pleasing to the eye, pocket and sometimes stomach. In an era where the local game is blighted with so many challenges in terms of general match quality, poor officiating and financial difficulties for clubs, huge sums of money were going to be spent on officials for the trip to Wembley on Tuesday and when it was all over, these officials would return to Ghana and find the game in the same state they left it. Huge marks for prioritising for our top men.
I am hoping that we get it right in Brazzaville and play some good football against England on Tuesday because we have to but to our officials who wanted to go to Wembley and forgot all about Brazzaville,let the words of my good friend, Gary Al-Smith, guide you:
''Our approach to the England and Congo games is akin to telling your wife to wait while your girlfriend uses the loo''. Think about it.
However,this England vs Ghana should take the back seat and why should it? It's simply because we have a masssive game in Brazzaville against Les Diables Noirs of Congo in an AFCON 2012 qualifier on Sunday. A game which could have huge repercurssions on whether we'll be at the competition in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year and possibly fulfill the head gaffer's dream of winning the continental trophy for the first time since 1982 but it seems the bright lights and the lure of London has led some of the top football officials to forget this simple scenario and they have been queueing up at the British High Commission to get visas for the London trip and fortunately (or unfortunately dependin on how you look at it), they were refused.
Maybe we need to be reminded of how crucial this weekend's game is. After picking up a point against Sudan at home in the last round, we opened the door for Sudan and Congo to catch up and put the Stars under pressure and should it all go wrong in Brazzaville, we will fall 3 points behind Congo and then we put ourselves at the mercy of playing a series of must-win games to close the gap and face the possibility of ''mathematics'' at the end of the series. Furthermore, this game is worth 3 points. 3 points which can improve our FIFA ranking and give us the opportunity of playing world class opposition later on in the year. I do not think this is too difficult for our football ''elders'' to understand, is it? Well, for some it is and it is the reason why they hopped up and down and went visa chasing.
In my opinion, this is a snap shot of how we sometimes look at issues in this country. There is a perpetual failure to do what is necessary and right and instead we enjoy labouring tirelessly for what seems pleasing to the eye, pocket and sometimes stomach. In an era where the local game is blighted with so many challenges in terms of general match quality, poor officiating and financial difficulties for clubs, huge sums of money were going to be spent on officials for the trip to Wembley on Tuesday and when it was all over, these officials would return to Ghana and find the game in the same state they left it. Huge marks for prioritising for our top men.
I am hoping that we get it right in Brazzaville and play some good football against England on Tuesday because we have to but to our officials who wanted to go to Wembley and forgot all about Brazzaville,let the words of my good friend, Gary Al-Smith, guide you:
''Our approach to the England and Congo games is akin to telling your wife to wait while your girlfriend uses the loo''. Think about it.
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