It’s almost certain that Ghana will face Mozambique with a depleted side in the 2017 Africa Nations Cup qualifier on Sunday. The Black Stars handed the Mambas a 3-1 defeat in the first encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday, but have been left lamenting the loss of several key men ahead of the return fixture.
Deputy skipper Andre Ayew was the first to pull out of the double-header with injury. Rumours had been rife that fit-again Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was set for a return to the Black Stars after almost two years, but coach Avram Grant decided otherwise, meaning that Kasa remains sidelined.
The Israeli coach named Chicago Fire winger David Accam in his final 23-man squad but was forced to replace the former Helsingborg man with local-based attacker Evans Mensah following an injury picked up in club training.
Captain Asamoah Gyan was the next to make way with a hamstring problem in Wednesday’s practice. Things would get worse on Thursday when all three of Ghana’s substitutions were forced by various injuries.
Frank Acheampong scored four minutes into the game but failed to return for the second-half, having been stretched off during recess. Then there were further blows to John Boye and Mubarak Wakaso whose places had to be taken by Daniel Amartey and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu respectively. Christian Atsu later picked up a knock, and would perhaps have been replaced had Ghana not exhausted their substitution on the day.
While Gyan and Wakaso failed to travel with the party that arrived in Maputo on Friday, Boye, Acheampong and Atsu all made the trip, although the last of the three failed to take part in Saturday’s final training.
Ghana temporarily took a six-point lead in their Afcon qualifying group with wins in all three games, but the gap has since been cut down to three following Mauritius’ lone-goal victory over Rwanda on Saturday.
Even with an away trip to Mauritius in June and a home fixture with Rwanda in September still to come, must Ghana even fret over Sunday’s fixture? Could this be the opportune time for some fringe players to step up?
“I don’t like to take injured players along with me [into a game],” Grant said of his injury situation in camp.
“Even with that, we took three players who have question marks on them. We don’t know if they can play but we need to analyze them and see if they can play.”
Grant may have suggested his readiness to leave out the trio if not declared ready. However, in case the trident are passed fit, won’t he be risking players for a game which he has more than enough arsenal to take care of without them?
To some, the Black Stars have no reason to worry as their squad depth should make it possible to parade a second-string side capable dispatching the Mambas on any day.
Wafa’s Samuel Tetteh has scored four goals in five matches in the Ghana Premier League and would as much fancy a chance to make a statement in the stead of Atsu. The 19-year-old winger has been a constant figure in Grant’s call-ups since November last year but has barely had the chance to prove his worth.
Alfred Duncan has played 25 games and scored once for Sassuolo in the Serie A this season and should be ready to justify his call-up in the absence of Wakaso. It's fair to say that the former Inter Milan man is the closest in terms of playing style to Wakaso with his tailored long passes, deep-lying play-making and deadly left foot, so why not give him a go?
Until Thursday, Acheampong had been absent from the national outfit for almost a year. The 22-year-old marked his return with a well-taken goal and it would be interesting to see how he fares again if passed fit to play.
In his absence, there will be no harm in throwing Evans Mensah in at the deep end. The youngster has been adjudged to be the best player in all three of Inter Allies’ home games in the local top flight this season.
Sion striker Ebenezer Assifuah has been hovering around the national team for a while, albeit with almost no playing time to stake a claim for a first-team spot. Sunday could be the moment to be given a look-in, especially if Majeed Waris fails to find his form in the absence of Gyan.
Edwin Gyimah has been nothing but a squad member, and while there’s an almost surety about Daniel Amartey’s output in the absence of Boye or Jonathan Mensah, the same cannot be said of the Orlando Pirates man. Sunday could just be that time to prove his mettle.
In the end, however, the big decision lies with Grant. You would reckon he wouldn’t want to take chances, but if he does, he should still have enough quality to bring the three points back to Accra.
