Ghana World Cup 2022 squad guide: A strong team on paper, but will they gel?

Ghana’s fourth World Cup appearance is their most difficult to predict. A team in transition and struggling for identity, with a coach unsure whether he wants to stay for the long haul… this could be the experience of a lifetime, or one everyone involved wants to forget in a hurry.

The manager

Of all 32 teams in Qatar, Otto Addo will be the only coach working in a part-time capacity. Doubling as a scout at Borussia Dortmund, he was brought in after Ghana’s worst-ever Africa Cup of Nations performance in January. A quiet, thoughtful man, Addo’s detractors pointed to the fact he had never previously been a manager as proof he was not suitable for the job. But his detailed preparation, and execution, of a play-off victory over arch-rivals Nigeria to seal a place in Qatar is a strong counter to suggest it’s worth giving him a chance.

Having come in once the team had stumbled their way to those play-offs, Addo also had to contend with a squad bereft of confidence and with a lack of trust from the public. Overcoming Nigeria certainly helped, but there isn’t the same enthusiasm for this World Cup from fans as there was in 2006, 2010 or 2014.

Addo has some World Cup experience under his belt, having been a member of the Ghana side which reached the last 16 of that 2006 tournament in Germany, the country of his birth.

Being just the second Ghanaian to manage at a World Cup should be a source of pride, but when you consider the other was Akwasi Appiah in Brazil eight years ago and how disastrously that campaign ended, he may wonder if it’s a bad omen.

The household name you haven’t heard of yet

Salis Samed should consider himself one of the luckiest men heading to Qatar — he is yet to even kick a ball for Ghana, but he is odds-on favourite to start in midfield in their opening game against Portugal.

With Mallorca’s Baba Iddrisu injured, and Mubarak Wakaso and Jeffery Schlupp out of favour and omitted, Samed is suddenly in pole position for a starting place. A monstrous season so far for Lens in Ligue 1, where he has played 90 minutes in all 15 games, casts him as adept at line-breaking passes, a strong dribbler, and able to play box-to-box when required.

He may have to watch his temper, which has let him down on occasion, but he is a good, family boy at heart.

“What could be nicer than my mum seeing me represent my country in the World Cup on TV?” came his reply, in September, when asked about the possibility of playing for Ghana.

It might just be time for her to tune in.

Salis Samed’s form for Lens helped his late surge into the final Ghana 26 for this World Cup (Photo: Getty)

Strengths

Defence is the only part of this team that has not been subject to chopping and changing in the last few months. Strasbourg’s Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey of Leicester and Auxerre’s Gideon Mensah have a good understanding, with the recent inclusions of Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu and Denis Odoi of Club Bruges injecting a new dimension to their play.

Much will be written about Ghana’s relative success at getting players to switch nationality this year. Inaki Williams of Athletic Bilbao headlines that list, with Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey, Antoine Semenyo of Bristol City and Hamburg’s Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer notable additions, too. “They are guys who obviously strengthen what was a weaker team without them,” in the words of former Ghana great Anthony Yeboah. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah have, so far, declined to follow.

Mohammed Kudus’ explosion as a key man at Ajax could not have come at a better time. Although a creative midfielder by default, circumstances have led to him being used as a central forward by the Dutch club, and he’s flourished in the role.

Four goals and three man-of-the-match awards in this season’s Champions League mean Otto suddenly has the right kind of headache: chuck Kudus (main photo) up front to help a team who struggle to score, or keep him as their engine? Wherever he plays, he will stand a chance of hurting the opposition.

Weaknesses

Ghana have won only two of their last 12 games against opponents ranked in FIFA’s top 100, and that damning stat shows in their play. A lack of fluidity, caused by frequent squad changes in the last three years, makes them soporific to watch.

Fielding the same starting line-up in successive games just once in two years has led to a paradox of the current team — their best XI looks strong on paper, but is weak collectively. They need time to become a formidable unit, as evidenced in September’s friendlies against Brazil (lost 3-0) and 142nd-ranked Nicaragua (won 1-0).

Central midfield is another headache. Thomas Partey, for all his brilliance at Arsenal, does not flourish for Ghana without the same quality of players around him. The last few national-team coaches have alternated between using him as a No 6, a No 8 or even a No 10.

Then there’s the goals problem. Since Asamoah Gyan last played in 2019, reliable scorers have been scarce. The Ayew brothers are the highest international scorers in this squad (Andre with 23 in 109 matches, Jordan with 19 in 83) but in 2022 they have just two in 19 international appearances between them.

A seasoned warrior of this side, having made his debut in 2007, Andre Ayew is on course to be Ghana’s most-capped player of all time, in addition to breaking many other existing records in Qatar. But he turns 33 during this World Cup and has lost his blistering pace, and the problem is how he tactically fits into the system.

Previously a winger who effortlessly roamed the flanks, opponents routinely now exploit his side of the pitch.

The option has been to put him in midfield, where his lack of creativity is an issue. As a player with an eye for goal, there is the temptation to use him as a false nine, but on form, there are other players more suited to the role. And yet, in all this, his dressing-room influence — and this team’s general lack of experience — suggest he may have to start games. But at what cost?

At almost 33, does Andre Ayew still have the pace to hurt World Cup defences? (Photo: Getty)

Local knowledge

Arguably Ghana’s greatest footballer will once again live vicariously through his sons. Abedi Pele, father of Andre and Jordan Ayew, was a star at Marseille, winning man of the match in their Champions League final victory in 1993 over AC Milan. However, he never had the chance to play in a World Cup.

Although his eventual career has not shown it, it was believed Jordan would be the best of their famous father’s sons. Abedi saw more of himself in the youngster than in the elder Andre. However, most observers believe Andre’s personality, style, mannerisms and leadership traits have most mirrored their dad.

Abedi’s eldest son, Ibrahim, was also a member of Ghana’s squad in 2010.

Expectations back home

For the first time before a World Cup, belief in Ghana is in short supply. The quality of the squad is not in doubt, but how they will play together is uncertain.

Many predict another group-stage elimination following games against Portugal, South Korea and old foes Uruguay, but the hope is it won’t be as embarrassing as their showing in 2014 (one point from three games played against the backdrop of a protracted row over bonuses). All Ghanaians want to see is a group playing with heart and hunger. That should suffice.

The country’s sports minister has said this team will win the trophy, and the Ghana FA’s vice-president has also predicted they will make the final.

Nobody believes them.

(Main graphic — photo: Getty Images/design: Sam Richardson)