The players slapped each other on their backs while the coaches and majority of Ghanaian fans reflected over a tough 1-0 victory over Botswana in the opening Group D match of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
That victory was achieved in the hardest of ways after Ghana’s captain, John Mensah was red carded after a professional foul on Botswana’s Ramathlakwane.
The Black Stars then held on nervously to collect the three points at stake. For some, that was the essence of the victory and not the manner in which it was achieved. For this school, they would choose substance over style any day.
Other schools of thought have however opined that the Black Stars didn’t display the requisite technical abilities that could see Ghana progress to the knock out stages.
Well, that may be a bit farfetched, but then it raises the big question as to what Ghana, against the back drop of what happened in the Botswana match up, can do to beat its next opponent, the Eagles of Mali, on Saturday 28 January 2012 at in Franceville, Gabon.
Here are five ways I think Ghana can overcome Mali:
 Bring Back Kwadwo Asamoah
So, a lot of noise has been made as to how Ghana’s game plan in the first match was disturbed by Mensah’s sending off. However, close watchers couldn’t have failed to notice the minimal scoring chances created by the team in open play. Indeed, even the goal scored was from a set piece. The need for a creative player to hold onto the ball, have the vision to pick out his players and the skill to direct the ball through those openings, can all be found in the player that is Kwadwo Asamoah. Yes, he has disappointed lately, maybe the burden of justifying the wearing of the No.10 jersey weighed heavily on him. But, he has given it up and with less pressure, he might be able to perform to expected levels. But how would we know if he is left on the bench?
Going into the Mali game, Ghana’s coach, Goran ‘Plavi’ Stevanovic, must field Kwadwo and probably from a deep lying position where he has thrived for his club Udinese and even for Ghana in Angola 2010. Kwadwo’s presence on the field would thus guarantee the creative spark that was missing in the midfield in the first game.
Police Seydou keita
He may have lost a little bit of his speed, but make no mistake, Mali’s Seydou Keita wields loads of experience and he does a good job of reading opponents play, possessing and distributing brilliantly in the midfield. He has been doing this for his club side Barcelona albeit in an unspectacular fashion and that is exactly where the danger lies. For Mali, he plays in a more advanced role and is given some amount of freedom to create. His less flamboyant nature however, may deceive his opponents into paying less attention to him and that is when he gets the opportunity to do damage. I would expect Anthony Annan who is very good at closing down opponents to keep a close eye on him to avert the threat that Keita poses.
Pepper Soumaila Diakite’s goal area
Mali, in its previous game also defeated Guinea 1-0 and they largely had goalie Soumaila Diakite to thank. The goalie made several hair raising saves to deny the Guineans on several occasions. Moral of that report is that, it would take more than mere random shots to beat him. His goal area needs to be attacked persistently and he would surely succumb to the pressure. This is where Sulley Muntari can be used to maximum effect to deliver unexpected long range shots that usually catches goalies off guard. Asamoah Gyan, if fed properly, should also be on hand to use his intelligence to overcome the barrier that is Soumaila Diakite.
Clip Modibo Maiga’s wings
Modibo Maiga is one of the rising stars of Malian football, and he made that statement stronger in the game against Guinea. He looked lively and played off the shoulder of the main striker, tending to drift to the wings where he did a lot of damage. His pace and flair was one the reasons where Mali looked dangerous anytime they attacked. He would definitely be a threat on Saturday and the only way to nullify that would be for Ghana’s laterals to cut the space available to him by making less overlaps of their own. John Pantsil and whoever is chosen for the left back would have to be alert as he switches wings at will. If he is taken care of, then he might not send those cut backs and piercing crosses he is capable of.
Ground the laterals
One of the major weaknesses identified with Ghana’s output in the first game was how the inability of Ghana’s full backs to recover when they overlapped, left acres of space for Botswana to exploit albeit to little effect. Unlike Botswana, the Malians would be less forgiving and would effectively punish Ghana should they be offered space of that kind. Whoever starts at left back, together with Pantsil, who is not the fastest of players these days, should be instructed to keep to the goal area religiously to solidify the lateral defence.
It is my fervent hope that the technical team thinks along these lines, if they do, beating the Malians should be a matter of course. If you agree or disagree, let me know.
Source: 90 minutes newspaper