Group: Forum Members
Posts: 15K,
Visits: 0
|
soccernet.com wrote:Injury doubt Michael Essien has been named in Ghana's preliminary 30-man World Cup squad by coach Milovan Rajevac despite uncertainty as to whether the Chelsea midfielder will be fit to feature in South Africa.
Essien has not featured for Chelsea this year after suffering a knee injury while on duty with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola in January. Ghana went on to reach the final in that tournament, but their hopes at the World Cup hinge on the rehabilitation of one of their only world-class players.
Sulley Muntari of Champions League finalists Internazionale and John Pantsil of Europa League finalists Fulham join captain Stephen Appiah of Bologna, Sunderland's John Mensah and NAC Breda's Matthew Amoah among the other star names in the squad.
Group D, which features Ghana, Germany, Serbia and Australia, could play host to a fascinating clash of brothers after Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was named in Rajevac's squad. Boateng, a youth international with Germany, is waiting for official clearance from FIFA to represent Ghana for the first time. His brother Jerome has been named in Germany's preliminary squad.
Rajevac named four Ghana-based players in his squad, including three goalkeepers who will likely fight for the two reserve positions behind Wigan's 75-cap shot-stopper Richard Kingson.
The preliminary squad will participate in a late-May training camp before Rajevac whittles his unit down to the final 23.
Ghana provisional squad:
Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson, Daniel Agyei, Stephen Ahorlu, Stephen Adams.
Defenders: Samuel Inkoom, Eric Addo, Jonathan Mensah, Lee Addy, Rahim Ayew, Hans Sarpei, John Mensah, Isaac Vorsah, John Paintsil.
Midfielders: Sulley Muntari, Derek Boateng, Anthony Annan, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Ayew, Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah, Haminu Dramani, Quincy Owusu Abeyie, Bernard Kumordzie, Laryea Kingston, Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Strikers: Matthew Amoah, Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah
Goalkeepers - Advantage Australia by light years. Defenders - Probably a tie at this point, possibly a slight advantage to us because of great players like Neill, Wilkshire, and Chipperfield (and Emerton if you count him here). Like us, they have strength on the sides but a weak soft centre. Midfield - Okay, now this is going to be controversial, but I'd say it's a tie. We have one of the best midfields in the tournament, and so do Ghana, in otherwise spectacular squads - I'd say Muntari, Boateng, Appiah and Essien is a decent enough midfield four, whoever you are, with Annan, Ayew, Owusu-Abeyie and KP Boateng off the bench? Jesus. Strikers - Advantage Ghana, but only the Adiyiah factor - everybody else in their squad is suffering from the same disease our strikers are suffering from. I'd say we've got the wood on
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 10K,
Visits: 0
|
even as a strong ghanain fan i'll admit we've never really been that good, we've got several big name players but unfortunately that's it. in fact ghana have been a rather overrated side recently even though i hate to say it
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 21K,
Visits: 0
|
scouse_roar wrote:We have one of the best midfields in the tournament Tell me that's a typo.
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 10K,
Visits: 0
|
Funky Munky wrote:scouse_roar wrote:We have one of the worst defences in the tournament Tell me that's a typo. not any more
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 15K,
Visits: 0
|
Interesting that they share many of our issues.
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 163,
Visits: 0
|
also interesting that the bbc had a story about the Ghana squad announcement. The headline: "Ghana name strong World Cup squad"
|
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 77K,
Visits: 0
|
Funky Munky wrote:scouse_roar wrote:We have one of the best midfields in the tournament Tell me that's a typo. I'd certainly hope so. Outside of Cahill we've got bugger all really.
|