Ghana

Appearances at World Cup finals: 1 – The 2010 World Cup will be only Ghana’s second ever appearance, a startling statistic for such a football mad nation.

Best ever performance: Only one to go by I’m afraid, the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Ghana progressed triumphantly from a tough group that included eventual champions Italy, USA and the then 3rd highest ranked team in the world Czech Republic. This was an achievement in itself for the Black Stars, but their journey was cut short in the first knockout round when they came face to face with Brazil. Despite being the better side for a sizeable portion of the first half, Ghana eventually succumbed 3-0 and were out.

Famous moment in WC history: Qualifying from such a challenging group in 2006 is the moment in Ghana’s World Cup history, but if you’re looking for individual memories the 2-0 win over Czech Republic and Stephen Appiah’s penalty against USA to hand them the 2-1 lead that would ultimately see them through are particularly euphoric moments.

The Lowdown: Ghana’s chances of emerging from a group that includes Australia, Germany and Serbia are far from straightforward. Especially so after the cruel twist of fate that sees not only talisman, leader and icon Michael Essien ruled out of the tournament but also his more than capable understudy Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu.

Agyemang-Badu, one of the stars of the Under-20s World Cup 2009, had an excellent African Cup of Nations 2010 in January, stepping into the senior team with barely any experience yet providing a calm assured presence in centre midfield the likes of which Essien himself would have admired.

But his absence through injury only serves to accentuate the latter’s, providing coach Milovan Rajevac something of a selection headache. Anthony Annan will be the man to step into that holding midfield role, with Germany’s public enemy number one Kevin-Prince Boateng another likely starter in midfield after a solid debut in the warm-up game against Latvia.

Rajevac, or ‘Milo’ as he is known in Ghana, is a notorious pragmatist and will line the team up in a conservative 4-5-1 with the intention of stifling and nicking a goal through a set piece or counter attack. About the norm for 70% of teams in modern football then. Asamoah Gyan will be the main man upfront after a prolific season at Rennes by his standards and an impressive African Cup of Nations, in which he led the line with Drogba-esque power and responsibility. Not to mention wild dance moves.

Kwadwo Asamoah and Champions League winner Sulley Muntari will be the men looked to by Rajevac to provide inspiration and creative flair. Gyan will sit upfront, Samuel Inkoom and Hans Sarpei will maraud the touchlines looking to supply width and crosses and, if he recovers from injury, John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah will be the rocks in defence.

Reserved, athletic, compact and strong (just as they were in Angola), Ghana will look to sneak through the group with narrow victories. But a 4-1 thrashing against Holland raises questions about their potential for long-term progress in South Africa.

Qualification: Though qualification from their first qualifying campaign was tense (3 teams – Ghana, Gabon and Libya on 12 points, Ghana advancing on goal difference), there were few real scares for the Black Stars. They topped their second phase qualification group with ease, ahead of Benin, Mali and Sudan. Done and dusted.

Top scorer in qualifying: Matthew Amoah – 5 goals.

All-time World Cup finals top scorer: Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Haminu Dramani and Asamoah Gyan – all with one each.

The Manager: Ghana’s third Serbian coach in six years, Milo Rajevac was a defender as a player and in coaching sticks to the habits of his playing days, organising a team into a compact defensive unit. As Muntari found out in January when he didn’t turn up for a friendly, Rajevac is a disciplined coach who does not sway easily. Muntari, one of Africa’s best players, was dropped completely for the African Cup of Nations for that misdemeanour, causing huge controversy in Ghana. The coach was ultimately proved right however, as a young Black Stars team advanced all the way to the final.

Key Player: Michael Essien. But he’s not around as we all know. So I’d go for Asamoah Gyan, who needs to repeat his African Cup of Nations 2010 form and be in the right place at the right time to score goals if Ghana are to progress.

One to Watch: Kevin-Prince Boateng. If for no other reason than the game against Germany on June 23rd when he will face the wrath of his other nation, with people still furious at the German born midfielder for taking their captain Michael Ballack out with a heinous challenge in this year’s FA Cup final. He could also face his brother in that game.

More importantly though, if Boateng does play as seems increasingly likely, how he helps blend the midfield and the cohesiveness he offers between defensive and attacking midfield will be vital.

On the move?: Kwadwo Asamoah is a real talent and could attract a few prospective buyers if he performs as well as he did in Angola, while Anthony Annan has been touted with a move away from Rosenborg for a while now.

How will Ghana fare at only their 2nd ever World Cup? Tell us your thoughts below.

(Photo credit: Walter Jabsco on Flickr)