The facts that show Chibsah can’t be overlooked for AFCON 2019

With the European football season winding down slowly, a host of Ghanaian players have had a memorable season both for the good and ugly reasons but in this write up the focus will be on one of Ghana's priceless assets in the Italian Serie A, Yusif Rahman Chibsah.

The tough tackling Frosinone Calcio midfielder, who has seen more minutes this season than any other Ghanaian player abroad, has constantly been overlooked by the handlers of Ghana's senior national team the Black Stars despite ticking all the boxes to merit a crack in the national colours.

The 26-year-old has constantly produced magnificent performances in the Italian Serie A even though the position of his club on the league log does not reflect his hard work this season.

The former Juventus academy product has been the brightest spot in the Frosinone set up and should they go down this season the stakes are high for the Ghanaian to stay in the Serie A with a host of top clubs monitoring the enterprising midfielder.

Here is a breakdown of numbers that clearly defines Chibsah's season.

Game Time

Rahman Chibsah has racked up a whopping 32 appearances for the canaries this season. He has been a big fixture in the team and despite having a bad season with the team, the midfielder has stood out as the club's best performer. He is as well touted as one of the league’s best central midfielders.

The former Bechem United player has featured in 31 games out of a possible 34 so far in the Serie A. He also featured once in the Coppa Italia, meaning he has a total of 32 games in all competitions this season. These are incredible numbers, looking at how most of Ghanaian players have struggled for game time across Europe this season.

In all, he has 2,790 minutes of action to his name in the 2018/19 Serie A campaign with four more games still to play this season. And this means the numbers could increase bar any unforeseen circumstance.

Experience & Consistency

If there is any Ghanaian player who understands the Italian game very well apart from Inter Milan star Kwadwo Asamoah and Afriyie Acquah, Raman Chibsah is that man. He has undoubtedly proven to be one of Ghana's top performers in Italy from his time with the Juventus Academy in 2012 through to Parma, then loaned to Sassuolo before joining Frosinone, moved to Benevento and now back at Frosinone.

The 26-year-old has gathered a great deal of experience in the top flight for his young age and could provide any team a lot of options going into any major competition.

Since first making his Serie A debut in 2015 for Frosinone, Chibsah has earned rave reviews in Italy, leading to many describing him as being similar in style to Ghanaian legend Michael Essien

Versatility

The former Ghana U-20 player has featured in several roles this season for the canaries. Apart from his favourite central midfield role, the player has proven that he has acquired the skill and ability to create a lot of chances for his team mates in the third half of the field having been deployed offensively sometimes, as well as playing on the right side of midfield when required to do so, giving credence to suggestions he is a player most coaches will prefer having in their side.

Calls for the Madina born star to be included in Ghana’s 23-man squad for the 2019 AFCON are growing, as he prepares to take on his former side Sassuolo at the Mapei stadium on Sunday.

Frosinone are currently 19th on the league log with 23 points, 10 points from safety with just four games to end the season. Marco Baroni and his charges will be looking to experience a positive result to fancy survival in the topflight