A more defensive approach will do for Ghana - Addo

Beaten in the final of the CAF African Cup of Nations earlier this year by a clinical Egyptian side, the Black Stars are in the process of confirming their enormous potential and are ready to put Addo’s words into action. Indeed, the former PSV Eindhoven star, asked to drop back into a central defensive role by coach Milovan Rajevac, believes that the current crop of Ghana players are even better than those that qualified for Germany 2006.

“One of the first things the coach wanted to do was bring a bit more balance to our game,” explains Addo.

“He didn’t change our style of play but just emphasised a more defensive approach. We’re now a bit more involved all over the pitch - everyone’s aware of the importance of defending from the front, everyone shares in the work.”

Michael Essien’s injury and consequent uncertainty surrounding his participation at the South African festival of football is a cause for alarm.

“Michael has always been there for the team, so for him not to make it would be a big loss for us. We’d have to try to offset it by making our group even more close-knit. I hope that we’ll all be at peak fitness and raring to go. If that’s the case, we have a chance to create some waves at the tournament, because we’re a great team, assured and aware of our strengths,” says Addo, frustrated by his repeated presence on the Roda bench since his return from international duty in January.