Ghana play the Chipolopolo of Zambia in a feisty semi-final clash on Wednesday in the ongoing AFCON tournament but the many sub-plots to that epic clash make the encounter even more intriguing.
Zambia Coach, Hervé Renard has a personal score to settle with Ghana even if he will not admit it in public. He was ‘assistant’ to then Ghana coach Claude Le Roy, but for many Ghanaians all he was, was merely a physical trainer to the team.
Sellas Tetteh was, at least on paper and known to many Ghanaians, Ghana’s assistant at the time and any claim by Renard to that position could at best be a misrepresentation and at worst dubious.
But it doesn’t matter now. Does it? Be he physical trainer or qualified coach, the 43 year old who led the Chipolopolo to the 2010 quarter finals stage of the AFCON tourney in Angola has come a notch higher qualifying them into the semis two years later in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
And more importantly he has the glorious opportunity to set the records straight and shove it in the face of Ghanaians that he is worth more than just a physical trainer. His job is clearly cut out and has revenge written all over it.
That Zambia has and will be playing in a country closer to the Atlantic Ocean will always provide nostalgic moments; a call to national duty; a plot to honour the memories of the 25 lives which perished on 27 April 1993 when a Zambian Air Force Buffalo DHC-5D ditched into the Atlantic Ocean. The 25 passengers were players and officials of the Zambia National Football team heading to Dakar to play a world cup qualifier.
It is not too surprising that the Zambian team is in the Semi-final, their first time since 1996, and admittedly they have played some of the most delectable, fluid and sublime games thus far.
Skipper Christopher Katongo has led by example; carried the team on his shoulders and in the most seamless of efforts strolled to the semis, with a crowning glory being a 3-0 romping of Sudan.
The same cannot be said about the overwhelming favourites of the AFCON tournament-Ghana.
The Black Stars are into the last four but their performance is anything but vintage. They have been limping yet winning, some in very dramatic fashion, and others with strokes of luck. To make matters worse, one of their most consistent performing players in the tournament, Agyemang Badu may well sit-out of the semi-final game due to an ankle injury he picked up against Tunisia in the quarter finals.
It is obviously, a big blow and headache to Ghana’s trainer Goran Stevanovic. For a coach who has yet to present the same starting line-up- from the opening Group D game against Botswana to the quarter final game against Tunisia- he may well be forced into making another change to the starting line-up against Zambia.
Whiles Badu’s absence will be solely missed it may well provide the opportunity to another player, Derek Boateng who surprisingly is wallowing in obscurity and oblivion of Plavi’s technical and tactical considerations.
Boateng has the opportunity to relive his days as a creative midfielder, a role that he was associated with at colts level with BT International, in Argentina 1999, and Mali 2002 until recently when he transformed into a busy-body-holding midfielder- a new role he has struggled to impress largely because of a certain diminutive but imposing figure in Anthony Annan.
If he does get the nod in that role and performs well- he has no option- it will be interesting how he links up with talismanic figures like Kwodwo Asamoah and Dede Ayew in midfield.
If Ghana will win, a lot will depend on the three men. Kwodwo Asamoah has been too quiet and needs to step up his game. Dede ends well in the previous games but struggles from beginning. He has to play 90 minutes of football. He can do it. Asamoah Gyan needs to get his confidence back; Kwarasey is doing same; John Mensah must stay on the pitch for 90 minutes or more whether he scores or not. John Boye has to keep up his outstanding performance and Goran must be ready to take the tough decisions which include retiring Muntari to the bench.
I see the Stars surviving the Zambia bullets and booking a date with Ivory Coast in the final. A repeat of Senegal 1992 and hopefully a revenge by the Stars.
source:myjoyonline
No comments:
Post a Comment