Ralf Zumdick knows Ghana football well enough to be aware that, with the senior national team, every game is a potential loss.
For a country with four African titles and a reputation in international competitions which many countries would do everything to get, games against countries like Somalia should have been one of those that pass quietly by as if nothing was happening.
But it’s been some while since Ghana managed to afford that luxury. Somehow, teams seeking to forage onto the international scene have always undone the Black Stars.
Countries like Burundi, Togo and Rwanda, have found in Ghana the perfect sleeping giant on whose back they have ridden to international fame.
With that in mind, Zumdick is approaching the Somalia match with great caution. Last Monday, after running through his files and programmes with Abedi Pele, he declared satisfaction with the response of his foreign-based players slated for the match, which will have a significant bearing on the country’s future in international football.
“You see, at this moment, we are not in a position to underrate any side. We have no other option than to win,” he said.
The German knows very little about the Somalis but that means very little to him. As far as he is concerned, all that matters is to get Ghana back on a respectable pedestal on the international scene after the pain of missing out on the 2004 Nations Cup.
“These days, the big boys are once in a while embarrassed by smaller teams. They all can play football now.”
Zumdick’s “they all can play football” philosophy also reflects in his selection of players. He has called up fifteen local players and seven foreign-based ones, which is a marked departure from the practice of old, when more foreign-based players were invited than the local ones.
But concerns over their activities in Europe and their ability to gel as a team have led to the change of mind. For Zumdick in any case, the key point is that, they all, whether home - based or foreign-based can play football for Ghana.
“I am trying to make a team out of the best Ghanaian players. It makes no sense to invite only foreign-based players. I used locals in Abuja and we did well. But we have very excellent players. What we must do is blend them and try to make a very good team.”
There are few questions however about the foreign-based players called up. Isaac Boakye has been in fine form since moving from Asante Kotoko to Armenia Bielfield about two months ago. Typical of him, he has been scoring with the sort of emphasis and style he has become known for.
His pedigree on the international scene in the big games cannot be questioned. One can’t say same for Israel - based Emmanuel Pappoe but the former national U-20 captain and Liberty Professionals defender has come a long way since leading Ghana to a silver medal finish at the world youth cup in Argentina.
The other players called up are those who provide proof that Ghana can still manufacture big star players. Stephen Appiah has been near excellent for Juventus this season in Europe and at home. Winning a regular starting place in the Juventus midfield is an achievement on it’s own but to be considered a mainstay is something else which is why one must doff off one’s hat for Tornado.
John Mensah has done little for Chievo Verona this season but he has been so good and strong for Ghana every time we’ve called him up, it doesn’t make sense leaving him out. He is likely to partner Samuel Osei Kuffuor in the center of defence.
In front of them could be Yakubu Abubakari and Michael Essien, two players who have made the European champions league stage their playground too. Yakubu might have had a nightmarish game for Ajax against Celta Vigo when he conceded a penalty but he has come of age for the Dutch masters really fast.
Essien gets better by the day which means Ghana would have one hell of a midfield especially with such fine locals as Chibsah to pick from as partners.
So you’ve got to agree with Zumdick when he says he only wants the excellent foreign - based players. Except that there is one very excellent foreign based player who is missing. Charles Amoah is without the slightest shred of doubt, the most potent striker to have donned Ghana’s shirt since the days of Tony Yeboah and Kwame Ayew came to an end.
He has roughly an average of a goal per two games, which is a fantastic record. But Zumdick says there is no place for him because he thinks he is injured and has found the going tough at his new club, Salzburg.
Sound excuse but still a big loss to Ghana even though that would get a few players smiling. Zumdick has Nana Arhin Duah in his books. ‘Shaggy’ is what he calls the Kotoko striker. The German has quite some affection for Duah whose sole moment of glory came in Lesotho when he scored twice to help Ghana recover from two goals down to draw 3-3 with just about five minutes remaining.
Other options in attack for Zumdick are Kojo Poku and Asamoah Gyan. Kojo has scored well this season in the local league just as Gyan has, but both players, as evidenced by their recent outings for the U-23s, are just not ripe for the Black Stars stage.
That is a different subject all together for another time. For now, Zumdick would be under pressure to get Ghana past Somalia. Football’s nature notwithstanding, the chances of an upset in this two-legged encounter, both of which take place in Ghana, are very slim and improbable in many ways.
And just to remind everyone, failure to beat Somalia would mean no nations cup and world cup for Ghana in 2006. It would mean effectively that Ghana would be inactive in serious international football for the next two years.
Grim. Isn’t it?