The Netherlands-Ghana Soccer Match: The Silver Lining Many Missed!

Ghana’s preparation toward the 2010 World Cup tourney in South Africa may not be as effective as it should be – it appears that, out of the 32 teams that will be competing in the tourney, Ghana is the only one intending to play just two friendlies – but the match against Holland, one of Europe’s elite soccer nations, on June 1, 2010 – and the ensuing 1-4 loss – has a silver lining that connoisseurs of the game will immediately recognize. A friendly serves several purposes – identifying player strengths and weaknesses, offering exposure and playing time to fringe players, discovering new formations and improving player fitness, among others – so for impatient Ghanaians to write off Ghana’s chances in South Africa after this lone friendly is quite imprudent, indeed.

Each of the 23 players of the Black Stars knew, before the match against Holland, that he will be in South Africa, so it was not a justify-your-inclusion exercise. And if no player was justifying his inclusion – all 23 soccer stars were considered good enough to be in the team, as alluded to earlier – then it should not surprise us that not one of them would be interested in engaging in dangerous tackles that could lead to serious injury to self or an opponent. There is always a relaxed attitude about friendlies, and while either team is on the pitch to win, spectators should not expect players to spill blood just to win.

Milovan Rajevac’s starting lineup against the Dutch was indicative of his plans for the team: giving some of his fringe players a chance to taste some action on the pitch. I am not the coach but I am certain that Lee Addy, Derek Boateng and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie are unlikely to start the first game against Serbia on June 13, 2010. I am pretty confident that Ghana’s lineup in the first game will be: Richard Kingson, John Paintsil, Isaac Vorsah, John Mensah, Hans Adu-Sarpei, Anthony Annan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng (or Stephen Appiah), Asamoah Gyan and Matthew Amoah (or Prince Tagoe). And considering the fact that John Mensah and Kwadwo Asamoah were recently nursing injuries, it made sense for the coach to leave them on the bench at the start.

Holland did not outplay Ghana in said match. In fact, the match was even, the scoreline not indicative of any ostensible Dutch superiority. I spent 2 hours to watch the match on espn360.com, and I carefully analyzed every move by both teams on the pitch. John Mensah remains Ghana’s best defender any given day, but because he is prone to injury, Rajevac did not want to risk him for 90 minutes. Even his current coach at Sunderland admits that John Mensah belongs to a rare breed of defenders: intelligent, versatile, strong, good in the air. But a great player cannot make an impact if he has a niggling injury, which is why the team is not asking too much of John Mensah at this time. If Mensah goes through the second friendly against Latvia on June 5, 2010, unscathed, then Ghanaians should expect a defensive “firewall” against Serbia on June 13, 2010! Richard Kingson may not have played well against the Dutch, but he is also convalescing.

John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah should be able to play well together in Ghana’s defense. With the Serbians taller, on average, than their Ghanaian counterparts, a 6-foot-5 Vorsah will be important to snuff out most of the aerial threats. And with Paintsil and Adu-Sarpei on the rear flanks – both players are very confident, having played consistently in top European leagues – our defense should be able to withstand Serbian, Australian and German assaults on our goal. Please, do not write off Ghana’s team – at least, not yet!

Kwadwo Asamoah is a surefire bet to excel in South Africa! Watching that lad on the ball reminds me of the virtuosic Abedi Ayew and the irrepressible Abdul Razak! Kwadwo Asamoah ought to be the engine room of Ghana’s midfield, ably supported in the immediate rear by the indefatigable Anthony Annan. What Annan lacks in size, he makes up for in tenacity – and I just love to see this diminutive player fight for every ball on the field! Sulley Muntari, fresh from winning Europe’s top club competition, has what it takes to make an unparalleled impact, but he needs to show restraint in the face of provocations, so as to avoid getting ejected!

Ghana’s players should know by now that some opposing players enjoy provoking their opponents, so our players must be conscious of these destructive strategies at all times. Of what use is a player if he could not render his services to his nation because he was thrown out of a game? Anger management should be an integral part of the psychological assessments of these players’ readiness before their first game against Serbia on June 13, 2010.

I am not certain that Stephen Appiah is still good enough to start any of the three group matches, which is why the Ghana Football Association may have fought hard to switch Kevin-Prince Boateng’s nationality from German to Ghanaian. Ghanaians, therefore, expect a lot from Boateng – and I hope that the lad does not disappoint us on the pitch.

The team’s strikers – consisting of Asamoah Gyan, Matthew Amoah, Prince Tagoe and the young Dominic Adiyiah – must display mammoth patriotism, if the Black Stars are to win matches in South Africa. Asamoah Gyan gave a good account of himself against the Dutch on June 1, 2010, by chasing down loose balls and eventually scoring a goal – but Matthew Amoah and Prince Tagoe were quite lethargic. Then again, both men may have played to avoid injury, which is why I indicated in my title that the loss may just have a silver lining to it! Would the vociferous Ghanaian fans have preferred a 5-0 win and a number of casualties to a 1-4 loss with all of our players healthy enough for the next match?

Ghanaians have grown accustomed to their national teams winning matches consistently – and expectations remain quite high after the Black Satellites notched up the Under-20 World Cup trophy last year by defeating Brazil in the final! – so the supporters are apt to exhibit anger and impatience when the Black Stars seemingly underperform. But here is the silver lining: our loss to the Dutch should serve as an impetus for correcting the team’s weaknesses, for instilling a sense of confidence in the players, and for identifying the strengths of individual players. In fact, our loss to the Dutch may just be the right stimulus to push the players to sacrifice themselves for their country, and we may soon find a way to subdue all the teams that will cross our path in Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s South Africa!

The writer, Daniel K. Pryce, holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University, U.S.A. He is a member of the national honor society for public affairs and administration in the U.S.A. He can be reached at dpryce@cox.net.