2022 FIFA World Cup: Top 11 Most Dangerous Players Ghana could face in Group H
Ghana’s Black Stars have been drawn into Group H for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which comes off in Qatar in November.
The three-time finalists secured their place for the Mundial after eliminating perennial rivals Nigeria in the final playoff – securing a tough 1-1 draw in Abuja on Tuesday.
Below is the list of countries in Group H
- Portugal
- Ghana
- Uruguay
- South Korea
The Black Stars will take on Portugal in the opening game of the Group before facing South Korea in the next group game.
The West African powerhouse will wrap up their group campaign with a clash against old-foes Uruguay.
- Portugal vs Ghana – 24th November 2022
- Ghana vs South Korea – November 28, 2022
- Ghana vs Uruguay – 2nd December 2022
Emmanuel Agyeman Badu speaks about Salisu Mohammed: “Salisu is a good player and can be a backup to Amartey and Djiku. He needs to join the team early; for instance, to play in AFCON 2023 qualifiers so as to know his teammates to avoid any problems to the Black Stars.”
We take a look at 11 of the most dangerous players Ghana could face in Group H during the Mundial in Qatar.
Ronald Araújo – Uruguay
Position: Defender
Capped 9 times with 0 goals
Club: Barcelona
Club Appearances: 52 games 6 goal
Araujo had firmly established himself as one of the leaders of Xavi’s team. In a decently competitive environment, he has become an undisputed starter for Barcelona. One pro-Barcelona portal wrote about him: “His physicality and pace were almost nullified by his lack of positional prowess, immature judgment, and sub-par ability on the ball.” He is definitely going to be a problem for the Ghanaian attack.
10.
Rodrigo Bentancur – Uruguay
Position: Midfielder
Capped 49 times with 1 goal
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Club Appearances: 8 games 0 goal
A dynamic, hard-working, skillful, elegant, and tactically versatile midfielder, who is comfortable using either foot, Bentancur has been described as a tall and “physically strong” player, who is capable of playing in any midfield position, including as a defensive midfielder, as a central midfielder, as a winger on either flank, in a box-to-box role, or even as a mezzala, or as an attacking midfielder behind the forwards, due to his ability to make attacking runs from behind. He has played for clubs like Boca Juniors, Juventus, and now Spurs.
9.
Hwang Ui-jo – South Korea
Position: Forward
Capped 44 times with 14 goals
Club: Bordeaux
Club Appearances: 84 games 28 goals
At 21, he even dropped out of the nation’s prestigious Yonsei University to resume his dream of playing professional football with the Magpies, with whom he went on to score 43 goals in 163 games, assisting 12 more. Hwang looks central, quite literally, to Bordeaux’s hopes of returning to European competition for the first time in three years. He is definitely, one of the players to watch out for.
8.
Pepe – Portugal
Position: Defender
Capped 124 times with 7 goals
Club: FC Porto
Club Appearances: 78 games 5 goals
A quick, aggressive, physically strong, and tenacious defender, Pepe is known for his work rate and hard-tackling style of play; due to his height, he is also an aerial threat on set pieces. While he usually plays as a center-back, he has also been deployed as a defensive midfielder at the international level. He made 229 appearances for Real Madrid and is one of the most feared defenders in the world.
7.
Diego Godin – Uruguay
Position: Defender
Capped 157 times with 8 goals
Club: Atlético Mineiro
Club Appearances: 4 games 1 goal
“Diego always steps up – every ball, every move, every game. It’s difficult to reduce a player to one characteristic, but with Godín I’d say his biggest attribute is his mental strength. He always wants to take on every challenge and come out on top. He represents the best of Uruguay.” – Óscar Tabárez, former Uruguay coach. He has played for clubs like Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Villarreal. He is the most capped player for Uruguay.
6.
Diogo Jota – Portugal
Position: Forward
Capped 24 times with 9 goals
Club: Liverpool
Club Appearances: 46 games 23 goals
“Diogo is just a class football player,” said Klopp of a player who was 23 when he arrived. “He can play upfront in all three positions. He played all three positions for us and that is already really helpful. He can play them on a really high level, so he makes us stronger, which is really good.” Jota – is a great threat and a problem for the Ghanaian defence.
5.
Bernardo Silva – Portugal
Position: Central Midfielder
Capped 66 times with 8 goals
Club: Manchester City
Club Appearances: 160 games 28 goals
Perhaps most importantly, Bernardo is now playing in his best position, central midfield. Tenacious yet silky, aggressive yet rhythmic, Bernardo’s performances so far this season have encapsulated everything good about him as a player. He is loved by Pep Guardiola because of his exemplifying and edifying additions to his team. Silva is a diminutive, elegant, and creative left-footed playmaker, with a slender build, who is capable of playing in several attacking and midfield positions. With him and others like Bruno Fernandes and Renato Sanches around in the Portugal midfield, there is a problem at hand already.
4.
Federico Valverde Dipetta – Uruguay
Position: Midfielder
Capped 39 times with 4 goals
Club: Real Madrid
Club Appearances: 97 games 5 goals
Valverde also excels defensively, because of his athleticism, tactical intelligence, commitment, and consistency. Unlike when they have the ball when Real is without possession, Valverde’s role largely remains the same. Real regularly withdraw into a low or mid-block, and defend with a 4-1-4-1 formation. He has been at Real Madrid since 2016 and is regarded as a long-term replacement for Toni Kroos.
3.
Luis Suárez – Uruguay
Position: Forward
Capped 132 times with 68 goals
Club: Atletico Madrid
Club Appearances: 61 games 32 goals
A guy who broke the hearts of Ghana and Africa during the 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup. After 12 years, the pain is still sharp and fresh in the minds of Ghana fans. Suarez will be a month away from his 36th birthday when he meets the Black Stars again in Qatar. How good Suarez is still is? One of the things that makes Suarez such a great dribbler is his unpredictability and his inventiveness. Luis Suarez doesn’t understand the word “can’t.” Nothing is impossible when Suarez is on the pitch. Just when defenders think they have him stopped, he pulls something out of thin air to leave them standing. He will be a handful for the Black Stars’ defence.
2.
Son Heung-min – South Korea
Position: Attacker
Capped 98 times with 31 goals
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Club Appearances: 223 games 83 goals
Versatile, lightning-quick, two-footed, and lethal in front of goal, Heung-Min Son is the paradigm of the 21st-century player. A footballer is so industrious, so efficient and so finely tuned that you could be forgiven for wondering if he had been machine-engineered. He is a formidable threat for the Ghanaian defence.
1.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
Position: Forward
Capped 186 times with 115 goals
Club: Manchester United
Club Appearances: 32 games 18 goals
The greatest goal scorer of all time. At 37 years, Ronaldo is still one of the deadliest strikers on the planet. He has played for some iconic clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United. Ronaldo’s explosiveness and direct running from wide positions are key for United, but when he plays as a forward he is not as effective. He can destroy teams on the counter in a blink of an eye. His finishing is great, his ability to shoot from just about anywhere is even greater.
The post 2022 FIFA World Cup: Top 11 Most Dangerous Players Ghana could face in Group H appeared first on Ghana Sports Online.
Source: Sports
