Ghana coach Otto Addo wants the Black Stars to “play intelligent football” at the World Cup in Qatar, where they will face “strong opponents” in the group stage.
Addo, who named his 26-man squad on Monday, said the four-time African champions could win or lose their group games.
Black Stars kick off their campaign on November 24 against Portugal, who boasts five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo as well as several other top players such as Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Felix.
The Black Stars will play South Korea in their second game on November 28 before facing Uruguay in a rematch of the 2010 quarter-finals clash on December 2.
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“We’re going up against three strong opponents and we could lose all three games or win all three,” Otto Addo told FIFA in an interview.
“It’s up to us and how we adapt to their playing style, how we stop them, how we work together as a team. We need to play intelligent football, exploit our opponents’ weaknesses and bring our own strengths to the fore.”
This is Ghana’s fourth World Cup appearance. They previously made it out of the group twice, and both times they won their opening game. They failed to advance from their group the only time they lost their first match, and Addo has described the Portugal clash as crucial.
“Every single game is different and the first match will be decisive,” he added.
“The subsequent games depend on the first one. If we lose, we need to be more attacking in the second match, but if not we can set ourselves up differently. It also depends how Uruguay and Korea Republic play against each other. In the end, it’s about mentality.”
Black Stars are currently in camp in Abu Dhabi, with 23 players having reported. The only players who have yet to report are Kamaldeen Sulemana, Joseph Aidoo, and Alexander Djiku.
The Black Stars will hold their first training session on Tuesday evening before facing Switzerland on Thursday morning.
SOURCE: 3news.com
