Ghana can beat Egypt if the players believe

To be perfectly honest, I never thought we would see the kind of buildup and atmosphere like what pertained in the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court judgment of the Election Petition.

Before the verdict was read out, everyone in Ghana was gripped with nervous expectation and I remember driving through the empty streets of Accra on the day the judgment was released.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that since the Black Stars were drawn against Egypt, many Ghanaian fans are looking forward to October 15 with a great deal of trepidation.

After all, the Pharaohs are seven time African champions and head coach Bob Bradley has turned the fortunes of the team around in very difficult circumstances. After a 100% per cent record in the previous qualifying round, Egypt would be a formidable opponent for any team.

I fully empathise with Ghanaians who will feel very concerned about this clash, especially when the defensive pairing for the last game against Zambia will change following injuries to John Boye and Jonathan Mensah.

Again, Harrison Afful is suspended, meaning that returnee Jerry Akaminko might be the senior figure in a reconstituted back four.

Again, the “water carrier” of the team, Rabiu Mohammed is injured and so is Kevin Prince Boateng, which rules both players out of the potentially decisive clash.

Again, there has been so much talk about the return of Richard Kingson, with regard to issues on his age, form and a whole lot more.

Let me start from the last point. Ghana legend and African nations Cup winner Rev. Osei Kofi told me that if a team’s defence is sorted out properly, goalkeeping shouldn’t be an issue.

I have kept quiet on the goalkeeping issue for some time now, especially with respect to Richard Kingson, but what I would say is that as a nation, we are missing the point!

Kingson’s return does not guarantee him a starting slot and whether you like it or not, that is the fact!

Secondly, there are no age limits in playing senior international football and so even if, assuming without admitting, he is 50 years and above, he should rather be celebrated for playing for so long, instead of being crucified for ‘age cheating’.

I don’t support age cheating, but I think we are being hypocritical because majority of our players are not using their real ages anyway and that is an open secret. Personally, the only players in the team I can vouch for in terms of using their real ages are the Ayew brothers, Kevin Prince Boateng and Adam Kwarasey. So let’s stop the hypocrisy and focus on what is really important.

Besides, his return will only boost competition for places amongst the goalkeepers and Fatau Dauda and Kwarasey will be kept on their toes throughout training ahead of the Egypt game. It rather presents Kwasi Appiah with a nice selection headache as to who gets the nod in goal against the Pharaohs.

As I said, we would see a rejiged back four, with Jerry Akaminko as the senior figure. I just hope Daniel Opare improves at right back because he wasn’t impressive against Zambia, but with the squad called up, he is our best option for the position now.

I am delighted that David Addy and Baba Abdul Rahman have both been called on to fight for the left back position. It also presents Appiah with a delicate choice to make because David Addy, a World Youth Cup winner with Ghana four years ago in Egypt, has the big game temperament but has a rather poor disciplinary record, even though he would be the more experienced of the two.

Baba Rahman is genuinely two footed and apart from his overlapping runs, his recovery is excellent and because of his height, he provides cover for the back four as well.

Personally I would pick Rahman to start at left back, but if Appiah selects Addy, it would still be a good choice and all Addy would have to do is to watch his tackles, especially with a player like Ahmed Fathi breathing down his neck.

For now, Appiah will probably be left with no choice than to bring in Rashid Sumaila to partner Akaminko at the back. The Mamelodi Sundowns defender is a good reader of the game, but international football can be different territory.

Appiah will just have to instill confidence and start him and for Sumaila, it probably presents an opportunity to stake a claim to a place in Ghana’s starting eleven, not just for now, but for the World Cup itself if Ghana makes it.

Thankfully Michael Essien is available again and so he should slot straight into the holding midfield role in Rabiu Mohammed’s absence. His experience will not only see him providing a platform for Ghana to attack, but he will also act as a barrier protecting the back four.

Since Appiah favours playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, my view is that the returning Sulley Muntari should be deployed to play alongside Essien in the centre of midfield.

The AC Milan deep lying playmaker has been consistent of late and his forays forward from a deep central position will make him difficult to pick up. He also still has a powerful left foot which has given him 19 goals for Ghana so far and for such a match, he will be needed.

Had it not been for Kevin Prince Boateng’s injury suffered for Schalke 04 against Augsburg over the weekend, he would have been a shoo-in for the position behind the lead striker and team captain Asamoah Gyan.

With his absence, there needs to be a tactical rethink and for me, this could be the right time to deploy Andre Ayew in the ‘hole’. The Marseille playmaker is now adept at attacking from all positions and he put in a very good shift on the right against Zambia last time out.

I know you will probably be surprised to read me recommending Ayew for the ‘hole’, when he did so well down the right, but my thinking is simple. Essien and Muntari are great players but not with much pace and so when Ghana loses the ball, Andre Ayew can drop deeper to assist in winning the ball back in a central position.

My choice for the right side of attack would be Albert Adomah, because he is a direct player who will work hard down the right and more crucially, provide cover for Opare. He will run at the Egypt defence and deliver crosses and apart from Gyan, Andre Ayew is also a very good header of the ball and that will thus benefit the Black Stars.

That will leave Kwadwo Asamoah to play down the left, with the license to tuck in to assist Muntari when Ghana is under attack from the Pharaohs. Since he plays down the left for Juventus these days, he should be comfortable in a left attacking position for this game. His skills would also help restrict Fathi’s effectiveness down the right for Egypt.

Gyan’s position upfront is assured and the team captain will definitely keep Wael Gomaa very very busy during the match. That should let in the likes of Ayew, Adomah and Asamoah when the Black Stars are on the attack.

That leaves the position of goalkeeping and I have to admit that it is a very difficult choice to make, but personally, on the strength of match fitness alone, I would pick Adam Kwarasey.

My reasoning is because Fatau Dauda might lack match sharpness because he hasn’t played games for some time, perhaps it is time to pick someone who has been consistent. Richard Kingson may have played a few games for Doxa in Cyprus, but Kwarasey has been far more consistent and with that in mind, I believe he should go in goal against Egypt.

True, Egypt may be a threat but it will require some tough decisions by Appiah to ensure that they will be beaten well in the first leg in Kumasi.

A 3-0 result in the first leg should make the second leg easier to navigate, but one thing is for sure. Egyptians are also just as concerned about facing the Black Stars as we are of facing them, so it is just a case of instilling belief in the players and though it is a difficult task, Ghana can make it.