The “Great Call” Continuous (Part 2)

Now let us turn our attentions to the final part of the “great call.”

Here are the midfielders Coach Milovan invited and five may come out based on my observations. Remember the names with the brackets are the ones going out. Midfielders: Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, (Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu), Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, (Quincy Owusu-Abeyie), Stephen Appiah, Andre Ayew, (Laryea Kingston), Derek Boateng, (Bernard Kumordzi), (Haminu Draman)

Consider the midfielders picked, if all are fully fit and ready to go, with Milovan’s national anthem at the back of our minds, as the team would be a mixture of inexperience and experience players, Haminu Dramani, Laryea Kingston, Bernard Yao Kumordzi, Emmanuel Agymang Babu, and Quincy Owusu Abeyie would likely be the one to be excluded.

Haminu Dramani is good, forceful and has the ability to split opponents’ defenders, but at the same time, has not been serious lately. He wastes balls through crossings and CAN 2010 tournament was my evidence. He has, moreover, adapted to selfish play and that is diminishing his skills.

If favoritisms would not be part of the final selections, Laryea Kingston would not be included in the final squad. In short, he couldn’t perform well throughout this season and almost half of last year’s season. Hopefully, now his boys, Muntari, Essien, Appiah, and his brother, Richard, are around him, things may change for better when he makes the cut. This is due to the fact that the core players mentioned have been playing together. Basically, the cohesiveness in the team is important. This also is the reason why Appiah would be kept no matter what we the fans say. Other than that, both Stephen Appiah and Laryea Kingston shouldn’t have even been included in the initial 30 players called. It breaks my heart to omit Kumordzi’s name from the great callers because he plays well when the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately, he is not only among Milo’s favorites, but also fans’ favorites. Therefore, it would take a miracle for him to be included in the final 23 man squad. According to my research, I would have preferred Kumordzi in the team than Andre Ayew for the fact that Kumordzi is better than Dede in most of the midfield positions. Dede comes back to support his defensive end and so does Kumordzi. However, Kumordzi distributes well, is a utility player who comfortably plays multiple positions such as 6, 8, and 10 compare to Dede’s single left wing position.

Don’t get me wrong, Dede Ayew is good for his age in terms of the sport, but I still think he is not yet a Black Stars material. This is not because he is young or a son to the legendary Abedi Pele but plays with an elementary style. He hangs on to the ball whist team mates waiting. A World Cup tournament is not the place for players with familiar style of play. The reason is simple. It doesn’t take the opponents’ coaches that long to figure these players out.

According to some fans, the team will need another natural left foot player beside Muntari in case of any surprises, and that is the main reason Andre Ayew cannot be left out. Good point but not good enough to convince football fanatics’ because multiple evidences have made it clear to all that a natural right foot player is capable of playing left wing. An example is our own Francis “Mystic Man” Kumi, who used to play for both Kotoko and the Black Stars during the 1979, 80, 81 and 82. Francis Kumi was naturally a right footer but used to play left wing.

If we have been following the German or the Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, well enough, we would have recognized that Coach Louis van Gaal plays Frank Ribery (France) and Arjen Robben (Netherlands) in their odd positions. Robben is a “one way” left footer but plays right wing whilst Ribery plays at the left side; although, Ribery is a natural right footer but has adapted to both feet. These two players usually change positions during games. Have we asked ourselves why do these two players practice such a formation? Arjen Robben’s goal from Ribery’s corner kick during a Champions League quarter final match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich last month was an obvious benefit. In simple print, right wingers have been playing left wing positions and so do left wingers capable of playing right wing positions. We could take some lessons from these players and their coaches; therefore, the reason to include Dede in the final squad is not a legitimate one. On the contrary, to Include Dede for the sake of exposure, that, to me, is a good excuse.

Emmanuel Agymang Babu may been out according to my predictions, because when Michael Essien is fully fit, there would be no need to have a third defensive midfielder whilst other positions are lacking. As I indicated, if Essien is in a good condition, I’m 90% certain Anthony Annan would become his backup. Quincy Owusu Abeyie’s omission is a simple one and a very sad one if you ask me. He hasn’t had a good relationship with the GFA executives. Most importantly, he doesn’t tackle. For Abeyie to come back and support his defensive end is a headache for him. Other than that, with his quickness, speed and recent performance in the English Premier League, there is no way he should have not been included in the final squad. With all facts on board, the final 23 players according to my predictions are going to be:

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson, Daniel Agyei, Stephen Aholu (3 goal keepers) Defenders: John Paintsil, John Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Hans Adu Sarpei, Rahim Ayew, Lee Addy, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah (8 defenders) Midfielders: Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Stephen Appiah, Andre Ayew, Derek Boateng (8 midfielders) Attackers: Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah, Mathew Amoah (4 attackers)

If only favoritism could be put on hold for once, the regular 11 should be: Starting line-up: 1. Richard Kingston, 2. John Panstil, 3. Hans Adu Sarpei, 4. Isaac Vorsah, 5. John Mensah, 6. Anthony Annan, 7. Kevin Prince Beateng, 8. Michael Essien, 9. Asamoah Gyan, 10. Kwedwo Asamoah and 11. Sulley Ali Muntari

I’m sure you have your squad too, therefore, let us here it. “In all things, get Understanding, get Wisdom”