When referee Glo?ovi?? whistled to bring an end to the international friendly between Ghana’s Black Stars and the Brave Falcons of Montenegro in Podgorica, two words immediately jumped to mind; learning curve. That was me trying to find a positive spin to a thoroughly disappointing performance. For a team like Ghana, gradually building a credible World Cup pedigree, to lose 1-0 to a team that hadn’t won at home since 2012 and never qualified to any major tournament, you might be tempted to press a panic button, but then again, you would have learnt from experience that, poor results from friendlies may not count in the grand scheme. What counts, are the lessons picked up and the will to act on them. Well, I picked out 3 lessons that Ghana Coach, Kwesi Appiah and his technical team, should pay immediate attention to.

Emotional intelligence required
I wasn’t as disappointed with the result of the match as I was with the lack of emotional intelligence displayed by the Black Stars. Granted the players of Montenegro were overly physical but to have seen the Black Stars lose their temperament and engage in unnecessary verbal and physical brawls in a friendly match the way they did, was worrisome. Sadly even the senior players like Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari also got in on the act. You would have expected those senior players to rather shield and advise younger ones like Jordan Ayew, who lost their heads, to rather exercise restraint and focus on the game. Going into the World Cup, the stakes and pressures are going to be higher and opponents know that winning and losing games will not only be a matter quality players and superior tactics, but also a team’s ability to keep focus in the face of extreme provocation. It’s called emotional intelligence and it can be taught and imbibed. The Black Stars as a unit failed woefully at this and when Jerry Akaminko reacted to a provocation by punching his opponent in the chest, the “worry-o-meter” hit the roof.

Rabiu is that important
When he plays, he imposes himself physically; shields the defense; intercepts passes; cuts space and breaks opponents’ attacks. He responds to the name Rabiu Mohammed and he was sorely missed in the friendly. The importance of a solid defensive midfielder, otherwise known as the “water carrier” to the Black Stars success cannot be over emphasized. This “water carrier” provides a base to break opponents attack and an outlet where attacks can be built. Anthony Annan, despite his petit size, always guaranteed you, big performances in that role till “Mr. Injury” paid an unwanted courtesy call. Step in Mr. Rabiu Mohammed! He slotted in nicely and Annan became a distant memory as Rabiu covered exceptionally well by getting the job done in a simple and effective manner. His move to Russian club, Kuban Krasnodar, has however been fraught with injury and subsequent dip in form, thus his exclusion from this game. His absence was very telling as the Stars midfield was more reactive than proactive. Michael Essien for all his experience is not the quickest and strongest anymore; Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu’s inability to stick with the task, in other words be tactically disciplined, does not make him a viable candidate either. Though Sulley Muntari can also play from deep, him and the above named players will be more effective playing off a “Rabiu like” player; one younger, sharper and tactically disciplined, rather than playing in that role by themselves.

Jordan falls short
It’s been 3 years and counting and we are still waiting for Jordan, the youngest of the Ayew brothers to explode; to fulfill …. (still finding the words)…. “burgeoning and precocious talent!” Words have not been bigger to describe his talent! Indeed, it was believed that it was him and not his senior brothers, Rahim or Andre, better known as Dede, who bore a close semblance in skill and flair to their legendary dad Abedi Pele. It was no surprise the backlash when Kwesi Appiah dropped him from the 2013 Africa Nations Cup squad. “He should be encouraged, supported and given game time to develop” was the crying call.
So, though Jordan’s club career hasn’t exactly flourished after moving to Sochaux from Marseille, he was given another call and a start in Montenegro but his output fell short. You can argue it was an average day in the office like his other colleagues, perhaps, just perhaps, but there could be no excuse for his attitude. He snapped at the slightest challenge and his general approach was languid. His talent is not in doubt but he needs a big smack to wake him up. That smack should come in the form of inviting other strikers to push Jordan; Richmond Boakye Yiadom and Ebenezer Assifuah are his contemporaries, who could also be considered and once Jordan realizes that he will need more than his dad’s goodwill to succeed with the Black Stars, he sure will dig deeper into himself. Everybody wins; competition for Jordan and more striking options for the Black Stars.
Three months may not be long in team building but if Kwesi Appiah and his team learn well from this friendly, then it would have served its purpose; a learning curve. How sharp is that curve? It all depends on how Ghana negotiates the trip from Montenegro to Brazil.

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