The five reasons behind Ghana’s humiliating exit from Under-23 AFCON

Ghana U-23's attempt to break Ghana's 20-year jinx of not qualifying for the Olympics ended in humiliation.

The Black Meteors' under-23 AFCON campaign was a massive disappointment. The team failed to live up to expectations and fell short of the knockout phase of the competition.

Ghana failed to qualify from their group which had Morocco, Guinea, and Congo. They recorded a win, defeat, and draw in the three group games played at the tournament. They, thus exited the competition with 4 points.

Host nation Morocco, who topped the group, and Guinea, who were tired of Ghana on points but had better goal margins progressed to the semi-finals.

There are a lot of factors that contributed to the team's abysmal performance. However, GhanaWeb looks into five key ones.

Ailing Ghanaian football

If the recent performances of the Black Stars were not enough to make Ghanaians realize the true state of Ghana football, the performance of the Meteors in Morocco should serve as the perfect reminder of how the country is drifting from the lofty standards it once set in African football.

The disjointed, planless, and incoherent movement and performance of the players who appeared to be of inferior quality compared to their rivals in the competition is a reflection of the true state of Ghana’s football.

The country’s football is currently in a state of the abyss with the quality of footballers not at the level of competitors on the continent.

Ghana’s football is in a state of dystopia and the performance of the Black Meteors, more than encapsulates that.

Questionable tactical decisions

The role of the coaching staff cannot be underestimated in any football tournament, and unfortunately for Ghana, the team lacked effective coaching during the Under-23 AFCON.

The tactics employed by the coaching staff were questionable, and the team often seemed disorganized on the field. The lack of proper guidance and strategic planning had a detrimental impact on the team's performance.

The lack of defensive structure which was apparent in the qualifiers was apparent in all three games the team played.

Defensive Fragility

The Meteors' defense was a major weakness throughout the tournament. The team struggled to keep clean sheets and conceded goals too easily.

They conceded 8 goals in 4 games, the most goals conceded by a team at the tournament.

The lack of organization, communication, and individual errors at the back cost Ghana valuable points. A solid defense is essential in any tournament, and Ghana's defensive frailty proved to be a significant factor in their early exit.

Top players failing to show up

Ghana had many top talents playing top-level football in Europe but they could not prove to be reliable.

Players like Ernest Nuamah, Fatawu Issahaku, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, and Danlad Ibrahim were all either a shadow of themselves or average and could not stand out as they crumbled with the team.

Personal glory at the expense of team glory

Black Meteors relied so much on individual brilliance which was highlighted by the selfish display of some key players.

The search for personal glory to grab the headlines became a priority for most of the players, especially the forwards and that affected the team adversely.

In conclusion, the disappointment is undeniable but with the right adjustments and a renewed focus on development, Ghana's future performances could improve and eventually end the long search for an Olympics qualification.

EE/KPE