If you are reading this then you have either of two emotions: Anger or a sense of vindication. Well, you are not alone. I find myself in that odd position. I have both. A paradox, huh?
Well, permit me into your various offices and homes so that together we can do a post mortem of the international friendly between Ghana’s Black Stars and the ‘Oranje’ of the Netherlands in Rotterdam June 1st, 2010.
Indeed, I am a proud Ghanaian, very proud! However, last night that pride was severely wounded by Robin Van Persie and co. Ghana lost miserably.
Since then I have quickly relocated to London in the hope that come Saturday June 5, 2010, I would sacrifice those poor Latvians to win back the confidence of my people in the last friendly before the World Cup kicks off.
I think you can figure out who I am by now. Indeed, I am not very popular back home now. I have been monitoring post match comments on the internet and my heart bleeds.
I understand the tongue lashing is even worse back home. But honestly, I believe that the attack on me is unjustified. Unjustified! Yes, yes, just hear me out.
AN OBVIOUS LIMP
I want Ghanaians to cast their minds a few months back and they would realize that I have been playing on one leg for a while.
Most of the senior players used in my matches have either been rusty due to inactivity at the club level or have simply lost form.
However by a twist of fate or sheer coincidence, injuries to some of these aging limbs conspired to keep them out of the 2010 African Nations Cup team that played in Angola earlier this year.
Back then, many were of the opinion that my legs were not matured enough to elicit a credible performance. But those baby legs surpassed all expectations by picking the silver medal.
Fast forward to June 1st 2010, the venue: Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam. the opponent; the ‘Oranje’ of Netherlands. The result: 4-1 to the Netherlands.
I was so badly exposed that not even my 3 piece cloth could cover the embarrassment meted out by the Dutch.
Our people say you have to be cautious in pointing an accusing finger at the elderly. So though I am a little pained and reluctant, I am left with no choice but to lay the poor result at the door step of my father; Coach Milovan Rajevac alias ‘Milo’
In picking the 23 man team to represent Ghana at the World Cup, I expected my father to have been consistent with the criterion he used in dropping long serving limbs Laryea Kingston and Eric Addo, and dropped other limbs like Captain Stephen Appiah, who has barely played 2 matches a whole season.
Against the Dutch, it was apparent that the captain simply lacked match fitness. So, if experience and talent were not enough to keep Eric Addo and Laryea Kingson in the team, how did the captain keep his place.
Please! Cut the inspirational talk, one’s ability to inspire is peripheral and not a critical factor in picking a squad.
A non playing role should have been defined for the man called ‘Tornado’ then we would all be spared this terrible heart ache.
The performance of Richard ‘Olele’ Kingson in goal the other night clearly showed that when for a whole season you do not get to feature in a single game for Wigan, match rustiness would be your portion.(I can almost hear him say ‘I refuse it’).
Kingson’s discomfort and total disorientation on the night was so glaring that at a point in time you actually felt sorry for him.
Well, this is what happens when the man has simply not been given any form of competition in goal.
If he had been given competition, he would have tasked his agents to secure a move to another club where he would have gotten the opportunity to feature and fine tune his art.
But alas! The position to him was just like walking into his bedroom I can imagine. Kingson’s situation is actually very intriguing because though the team’s handlers have not reported that he is injured, it has been alleged that he is concealing injuries.
The image of him writhing in pain on the field and his inability to quickly get back on his feet after making saves on a number of occasions only gives credence to the injury fears.
The fitness battle continues with the story of John ‘The Rock’ Mensah. Once upon a time, Mensah used to be the general that marshaled Ghana’s defense, indeed with a healthy Mensah in a neat punk haircut, Ghanaians could always rest easy.
However, in the past couple of years Mensah’s fitness has been inconsistent. A sound inquiry by his club doctors revealed a spine problem as the root cause of his niggling injuries.
A special regime has since been fashioned out for Mensah. No more does he train regularly with his mates and in fact you would be lucky to have him complete a 90 minute game without picking another injury.
But such is his stature in the team that he has also been given a special dispensation to the World Cup.
In the game the other night it was evident that the man was more concerned about not picking up an injury rather than putting in that vital tackle. Is his inclusion really worth the risk? ‘Dada Milo’ where is your tongue?
There is also another group of players, they have the requisite match fitness, yes they do, but their recent output has been below par.
On Sulley Muntari’s neck hangs an European Champions League gold medal he recently won with Inter Milan. However there was nothing golden about his performance in Rotterdam.
He was completely lost, struggled to keep up with the pace and looked very heavy, no wonder he could not support Hans Adu Sarpei on the left side of the defense.
Mr. Sarpei, who at 33 is officially the oldest member of the team, was also badly exposed. Sarpei is definitely technically gifted but age has slowed him down considerably.
Can you imagine Sarpei coming up against world class wingers like Cristiano Ronaldo or the Shaun Wright Phillips? Penetration would be faster than a hot knife cutting through butter.
And then there is Matthew Amoah who is experiencing a goal drought. Mr. Amoah simply can not play as the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
His inclusion, especially if this is the formation ‘Dada Milo’ would employ, is simply a waste of space.
UNSTEADY GAIT
So you see, more than half of coach Milovan’s probable starters are on a limp and are operating at 50%.
‘Well, that is why we have a 23 man team’ I can hear you say. I have heard people suggest to ‘Dada Milo’ that he uses the team that played and won silver in Angola. With all due respect however, let me say that the African Nations Cup can under no circumstance be compared to World Cup.
It is true that through sheer determination and good organization, the Inkooms, Vorsahs, Ayews, Agyemang Badus, Addys, Asamoahs, defied all the odds and made the final.
Yes, but what makes Ghanaians believe that in less than six months, those legs they described as infantile and immature have all of sudden developed strong tendons and ligaments to face the very best of world’s footballers.
Truth be told, at the World Cup, teams would not be as unforgiving like those at the Nations Cup.
The elementary errors made in defense would be punished; the possession that was ceded to teams would be exploited. Infusing returnee Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and new boy Kevin Prince Boateng would add bite to the team.
However, time is needed for them to settle in while ‘Milo’ builds a cohesion unit, an obvious challenge considering the many changes.
So, while the mature leg is on a limp, the other healthy leg might just not be mature enough to ensure an outstanding performance in South Africa.
It is a shame indeed that when the World Cup finally came to Africa, Ghana, hoping to go one step further than the second round berth it achieved in 2006, would be presenting a team that is terribly handicapped.
So you see my people, please taper your expectations because it is obvious that I am going to South Africa on an unsteady gait and I am only hoping that when eventually I do miss a step and fall, it would not be that crushing and that I would return home with my head held up high.
But I am open to suggestions, if there is anyway you think I can fix my limp before June 13th when Ghana plays Serbia, then time is of the essence. Send in your suggestions now.
Nii Ayitey Tetteh Email: [email protected]