On Friday, March 25, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, was filled to capacity, ahead of the first leg of the Black Stars World Cup play-off against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Prior to the start of the heavily anticipated fixture, there was a lot of euphoria and excitement in the air. Scores of ecstatic Ghanaians wore their replica jerseys, and trooped to the stadium in their numbers.
Even though the Finance Minister had told us on Thursday that, we hadn’t fully secured our victory against the COVID-19 pandemic, there was very little regard for the safety protocols amongst the jubilant fans.
Social distancing was ignored, the wearing of nose masks was abandoned, and many people were not thinking about washing their hands, with soap under running water.
The focus was simply Ghana! On social media, the pundits and connoisseurs of the game also offered diverse predictions about the outcome of the match, which many had christened the ‘Jollof Derby’.
While some of the supporters expressed optimism in the fortunes of the senior national team, a section of those who love the round leather game, dismissed the chances of the Black Stars. For those skeptics, it was obvious that, they had not fully recovered from the team’s poor performance, in their 2021 AFCON campaign in Cameroon.
As a football enthusiast, what was my state of mind ahead as well? Like many Ghanaians, I decided to stay on the side of hope. In that regard, I predicted a 3-1 victory for the Stars, and made a noise about my so called ‘prophetic predictions’. But as you already know, it all ended in some small amount of tears.
At the end of ninety minutes, the Black Stars failed to secure the needed victory against their West African neighbours in their own backyard. The fans were crestfallen, but of course not with the grief that Arsenal supporters have been experiencing over the last number of years. It was a goalless draw, but it didn’t really upset many of the supporters who cheered the team on.
This was because, for a very long time, the Black Stars actually gave a good account of themselves. Right from the blast of the whistle, we saw a hungry team that was poised for victory; stringing some very decent passes together. Yet despite this beautiful spectacle, they still failed to grab the maximum three points.
Now let’s talk; why did the Stars fail to shine against the Eagles? …
In answering this question, I’ll rely on what I saw on television; watching the game with some colleagues in the office. Consequently, my opinions should not be understood like an expert’s feedback. Indeed, they are just the thoughts of a regular supporter who yelled his lungs, but saw no goal.
Now, in analysing the team’s inability to secure victory, I’ll lay my first blame at the doorstep of the man who captained the team; Thomas Teye Partey. As captain of the side, I am convinced that he failed in discharging his duties in a manner that could have made the Black Stars stay afloat.
At this point, one may be wondering: “How exactly did Partey contribute to the team’s inability to secure the maximum three points?”. I will answer. A captain’s role in a football match is more than picking a side of the coin, during the tossing with the referee.
The captain is the leader on the field of play, therefore, he is expected to do more than passing the pall, keeping the post or doing anything in relation to his role on the pitch. A good captain actually motivates his team when the going gets tough, giving the needed inspiration to the squad.
We see this in Andre Dede Ayew, anytime, he’s wearing the captain’s armband. On the pitch, you’ll see Dede in his typical element of clapping or signalling his colleagues about a thing or two. Sometimes, you would actually see him have a pep talk with some of the players.
Such gestures may look like a ritual, but I believe that they go a long way to motivate the players, especially those with little or no experience, playing for the Black Stars.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see this in Captain Thomas Partey. He himself failed to find his rhythm on the pitch, and it was obvious he lost touch with the game. This resulted in his ability to be a model to the rest of the players, and this in my view affected the fortunes of the team.
Interestingly, it was rather Daniel Amartey who stepped up and took the role of inspiring his colleagues. That leadership gap on the field of play, deserves attention.
It is pertinent to however indicate that, even though leadership was missing on the pitch, there was enough guidance on the sidelines. Coach Otto Addo, was at his brilliant best, yelling out instructions and commanding his troupes to victory. Nonetheless, the Black Stars will need a leader on the pitch, especially when they’ll be playing in front of booing fans at Abuja on Tuesday.
The second factor which held back the victory of the Stars, was the inclusion of Jordan Ayew. Jordan, as far as I’m concerned has outlived his usefulness in the Black Stars squad. Once upon a time, he was darling boy who contributed to putting smiles on the faces of Ghanaian supporters.
However, in recent times, his form has dipped, and his class as a prolific striker is visibly missing. This was very evident in his abysmal conversion of the corner kicks he took. His balls lacked direction, devoid of any attacking threat. His runs were also untimely, and as usual, he went to the ground easily, even when the opponents didn’t make any combative contact with him.
Owing to this, there’s the need for the Black Stars to take very decisive steps to improve the team’s striking options.
There are a few more factors to highlight, but I want to end it. You know why? The Stars gave a very good account of themselves, therefore I feel it is ‘unfair’ to subject the team to too much scrutiny, at this point, where they need all the motivation in the world.
On that note, I will log out here. However, I’ll come back and vent all my observations if the team fails to beat Nigeria on Tuesday and qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. That will be an unpleasant task, and so I hope the team is able to shine well enough to blind the Super Eagles in Abuja on Tuesday.
Go, Black Stars, go.
The author of this piece, is a football enthusiast, a writer and a journalist with the Multimedia Group. He’s also a nominee for the 2022 BBC World News Komla Dumor Awards.
Source: Ghana News
