Yesterday, the Black Stars sealed a comprehensive 4-0 win over South Korea in their final warm-up game in Miami to ensure they leave for Brazil in buoyant mood.
It was a totally dominant win, in which South Korea was outplayed in all aspects of the game and which showcased the ability of the Stars to crush their opposition on their best days. All over the country, the win has rekindled waning optimism over the chances of the team and all of a sudden the Black Stars seem unbeatable in the eyes of many.
There is a tendency to read too much into these friendly games which we must be careful to eschew. Before this game, after the woeful performance in the 1-0 loss to Netherlands, there was also a disproportionate amount of pessimism over the team’s chances. Neither reaction is accurate, as always the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
So what’s the truth? The truth is that this team is immensely talented, particularly across midfield and attack. Even much aligned Jordan Ayew was a hero in the last game, whilst the least experienced call-ups such as Afriyie Acquah, Majeed Warris, Christian Atsu, and Rabiu Mohammed all possess raw ability that cannot be denied. Complement this with the experience of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan, Kevin Boateng and their like; and you have a team with a balance of youth and experience that can on their best day, go toe to toe with any side in world football.
However, there are glaring issues we cannot close our eyes to; the fact that the level of veteran experience in this team in comparison to those of the last two world cups is negligible. Youthful verve can only take you so far, there are times when a team has to dig deep, to that inner reservoir of resolve to scrape victories, and the lack of players the ilk of Stephen Appiah, John Mensah, and Richard Kingson cannot be overlooked.
There is also the goalkeeping issue, which is not going away any time soon. Olele was a rock for this team the past two World Cups, and neither Dauda or Kwarasey has shown the level of goalkeeping for the Black Stars that can be described as anywhere near world class. Add in the lack of a reliable leader at centre back, and our defence does not look anywhere near rock solid enough to take on the elite of this world.
The point I’m trying to get across here is whilst this team has the potential to be world beaters, we should not ignore its issues, or pretend everything is rosy just because we beat South Korea by four goals.
Germany and Portugal are both top tier sides, and the United States are as well prepared as they have ever been for a world cup, and beating them for a 3rd straight time is going to be infinitely harder than the first two times combined!
“The scoreline didn’t matter to me. I am not looking at the scoreline, I am looking at how best I will prepare my team, and how we played individually and as a team”
These were the words of Kwesi Appiah after the game, and fans should also adopt the same attitude towards the win over Korea.
Undoubtedly it was a very satisfying result, but the caliber of opposition in Group G is significantly higher. The Black Stars have the potential to get out of what is a very top group, however a level of cautiousness should be intertwined with the jubilant feelings last night’s win evokes.