EACH Ghanaian player was richer by $8,000 for the 1-0 victory over Benin last Sunday, but Milovan Rajevac was not impressed with the general output of his players.
Even though the Serbian described the win as important for Ghana, he hinted he could make changes to the team for the next match.
Coach Milo may have been disturbed by the attitude of the players after taking an early lead and can only strengthen the team for the next important battle against Mali in June.
Perhaps the impressive performance of young players like Kwadwo Asamoah, Samuel Inkoom and Anthony Annan informed the coach’s decision to search for fresh limbs.
Benin are undergoing a footballing renaissance of a sort at the senior level and any attempt to consider them an outsider in the group could be disastrous.
Whilst coach Milo bemoaned the performance of his players, a number of fans also questioned his tactical approach as his opposite number dwarfed him in tactics.
Parading seven of the players who catapulted Ghana into the historic first World Cup appearance in 2006, the general belief was that • Continued from page 1
their experience would tell positively on the match but that was not the case.
They could hardly press forward and remained turtled in defence for a good part of the game. The back four of Pantsil who won his 50th cap for the national team, Inkoom, Addo and Quartey were under intense pressure and committed some mistakes, but Benin failed to take advantage.
Addo leaked badly in defence but Inkoom, Pantsil and Quartey played well to keep the marauding Beninois at bay.
Most of the time when Boco, Omoyotossi and PSG striker Sessigna attacked, the mammoth frame of Quartey was up to the task to create some difficulty for them to pass through.
Benin’s French coach, Michael Dussuyer, was also disappointed that they lost after playing so well.
“Perhaps, our inability to do what was important in the firing range caused us a major victory or at least a draw.
“We knew Ghana’s pedigree. They are no doubt a great side but we came in with our won game to win, which unfortunately did not work out for us,’ Dussuyer said.
The Frenchman, who came with a tactical plan to swallow Ghana in the middle and attack on the flanks, said it was too early to give any single team in Group D the favourite’s tag, promising that his side would bounce back in full force.
With Michael Essien showing just a little of brilliance, Muntari and Appiah appeared not cut for the match and it was surprising that both spent more than 70 minutes in the game before being substituted.
Brilliant Beninois forward, Ronuald Boco, shook his head in disbelief after losing the match in which they proved the better side.
“Ghana were playing at home and the pressure to win was on them, but we played better even though we failed to win,” Boco said.
Serious question marks hung over the potency of the Ghanaian attack last Sunday. It is still surprising why Manuel Agogo was dropped for the match.
Prince Tagoe who led the attack was not himself after scoring that all-important goal but the confidence of the young man must be built to enable Ghana tap the potential in him.
Goals matter a lot in the qualifiers and Ghana can only sharpen their attack.
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