Head coach for the Black Galaxies of Ghana, Coach Annor Walker has reacted to the draw for the 2023 CHAN tournament which has pitted his side in Group C.
While welcoming the result of the draw, the experienced coach has opened up on his desire to keep the team that qualified for the tournament together.
However, he has warned that players who are not serious will be dropped from the final squad for the tournament.
“For the tournament, I would like to go with the squad I used to play the qualification unless some of them have travelled or injured. Your performance will also determine.
“If you are not serious then you will be dropped. Definitely, since the league has started I will see some new players and give them the opportunity to try and if they are able to make it then I will make some changes,” Coach Annor Walker has said in an interview as quoted by Ghanasportspage.
At the end of the draw, Ghana has been drawn in Group C to face defending champions Morocco, Madagascar, and Sudan.
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has told BBC Sport that his teammate Thomas Partey plays consistently well.
Xhaka made the comments about Arsenal midfielder Partey following the Gunners’ win against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium in the North London derby on Saturday.
The £200,000-a-week Ghana international midfielder scored a superb goal for the Gunners.
Xhaka said about Partey: “Thomas [Partey] and me have a great relationship.
“He is a lovely guy with a lot of quality and you can see that week by week.
When fit and available, the 29-year-old is one of the best defensive midfielders out there.
We saw against Tottenham just how good Partey is.
The problem with the Ghanian during his time at Arsenal so far has been injuries.
Even during the international break, Partey picked up a knock while away with Ghana.
If Partey stays fit, then he will play a huge role for Arsenal in their quest to be successful in the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League this season.
Partey has scored one goal in five Premier League appearances for Arsenal so far this season.
The 29-year-old midfielder has scored three goals and created two big chances in 53 appearances in the league for the Gunners so far in his career
Former Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Razak Abalora is contemplating on a nationality switch from Ghana.
Razak Abalora who currently plays for Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova made the revelation in a Twitter post which was deleted after just few minutes.
The 26-year old was born in Accra, Ghana. He has made 4 appearances for the senior national team of Ghana, with his latest appearance coming in June 2021 against Morocco.
In spite of that, Abalora could still switch nationality to the nation of his choice, which could possibly be Moldova, where he currently plys his trade.
However, should that materialize, he will have to wait for another two years to make an appearance for his new country due to the current FIFA nationality regulations.
The regulation stipulates that a player can switch nationality if at least three years have passed since the player’s last senior appearance for their previous national team.
Withal, Abalora would have to become a Moldovan citizen before earning the prerogative to switch allegiance to play for the Moldovan national team.
Abalora would have to acquire citizenship by marring a Moldovan citizen for at least three years or residing lawfully and habitually for three years with parents or children (including adoptive) who are citizens of Moldova.
Having arrived in Moldova in January 2021 from Asante Kotoko, Razak Abalora has already spent 9 months in the Eastern European country, becoming a core member of the Sheriff Tiraspol team.
Mohammed Kudus Thrives in False Nine Role, but Does the Ajax Star’s Future Lie There?
The year is 2018 and Mohammed Kudus is tucked into his bed at the Nordsjælland base two days after making his 11th appearance for the club. It’s November in Denmark, one of the coldest months in the Scandinavian autumn. Kudus, who joined from Right to Dream Academy, logs into Instagram and makes a post which he will look back on in four years with a strong sense of fulfilment.
He shares a picture of a Thiago Alcantara Bayern Munich jersey which had been signed by the whole first team including the Spanish midfielder. It was an away kit which the Bavarians wore five days prior when they beat FSV Mainz 05 away. In his caption, Kudus says: “Anyone that knows me up-close knows how much this means to me.”
Four years ago, 🇬🇭 Mohammed Kudus received a Bayern Munich shirt (signed by the team) from his childhood role model Thiago Alcantara. During Kudus’ juvenile days, his teammates called him ‘Alcantara’.
For people close to the Ghanaian, it was a childhood dream come true. Growing up, Kudus was a diehard Barcelona fan and fell in love with Thiago who played for the first team between 2009 and 2013. His love for Thiago was so apparent that his team-mates from juvenile football referred to Kudus as Alcantara and with time the moniker stuck.
So, when Ajax faced Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League this season, it was an emotional night for Kudus, who got the chance to share the Anfield pitch with his childhood idol. But it may not have been in the capacity the Ghanaian would have preferred as he would have relished battling it out in midfield with Thiago throughout the game.
Instead, Kudus was on the other end of the field playing as a striker, scoring a magnificent goal that got the whole world talking. So far, the 22-year-old has barely put a foot wrong this season, scoring seven goals in all competitions. However, is playing upfront the best option for the Ghanaian going forward?
Born With Versatility
Kudus was born and raised in Nima, a shanty settlement in Accra, by his mother and grandmother. As a youngster, he had the rare opportunity to go on trial with Feyenoord, now known as WAFA (West African Football Academy). To his surprise, he was mostly used as a left-back and never really got a chance to prove his worth. Missing out at Feyenoord crushed young Kudus, but he was undeterred.
He persevered with his boyhood club, Nima-based Strong Tower FC, until his breakthrough came in 2012. Right to Dream Academy’s U11 side had gone the entire year winning each game in dominant fashion. But that changed when they came up against Strong Tower. The friendly became a 6-6 goalfest, with Kudus scoring all six goals for his side.
It was a special day for the young left footed player, who dazzled in his favourite attacking midfield role as he single-handedly brought Right to Dream’s winning streak to an end. Any time Strong Tower had the ball, all you could hear was their coach yelling “give the ball to the world’s best [Kudus]”.
Every individual at that friendly left with the name Mohammed Kudus buzzing in their heads. Right to Dream immediately made their intentions clear – they wanted him. Nevertheless, it still took about a week or two to convince the wary kid who still had nightmares from his last encounter with an academy (Feyenoord).
Eventually, Kudus joined Right to Dream and formed a key part of their golden generation. They went unbeaten at U15 level in their European tour, winning the last edition of Nike’s World U15 Premier Cup, Marveld Tournament, Top C Tournament, and NI Milk Cup (now known as SuperCupNI). The only time the team drew a game was against Manchester City’s U15 team which had the likes of Phil Foden (a goalscorer on the day), Jadon Sancho, and Raphael Camacho. In all these games, Kudus was used predominantly as an attacking midfielder, but also enjoyed spells as a box-to-box midfielder.
Six years after joining Right to Dream, Kudus signed for Nordsjælland where he made his debut for the club just three days after he turned 18 – at the time he became the ninth youngest debutant in the club’s history.
Right from kick-off the Ghanaian played in an unfamiliar striker role and didn’t have the best of games before he was substituted at half time.
Black Stars assistant coach Dramani Mas-Ud Didi, who worked with Kudus in his latter days at Right to Dream and Nordsjælland, told Joy Sports in 2020 that the player went through “total transformation” when he moved to Denmark.
“At FC Nordsjælland, Kudus got his major education in football where he developed various aspects of his game by playing in different positions as a central midfielder, false nine, wide midfield, wide attacker etc.”
This is seen in the breakdown of the positions the Ghanaian played in during his two-year stay in Denmark. He was tested in six different positions with the Ghanaian playing 44% of his minutes as a central midfielder, 35% of his games as a deeper-lying striker with other 21% being taken up mainly in attacking midfield positions.
Fundamentally, Kudus spent his first season mainly playing in midfield and played the next as a false nine. Despite switching roles, his underlying creation numbers remained quite similar in both seasons. He managed an expected assist (xA) tally of 0.09 per 90 in both seasons, while his second season saw him create 1.3 chances per 90 (slightly above the 1.2 chances he created in his first.).
But while Kudus hardly changed as a creator, he exploded as a forward due to the position change. He scored 11 goals in his second season, compared to a paltry three in his debut campaign. This was due partly to an increased quality of goalscoring positions that he found himself in, averaging a non-penalty xG tally of 0.36 per 90 – almost twice as much as he had in the first season. Kudus was also attempting twice the number of shots per 90 (2.9) as a false nine, so it came as no surprise when Ajax came knocking.
An Ambivalent Season So Far
The 2022-23 season is Kudus’ third season at Ajax. Considering the trajectory which the Ghanaian started life in Netherlands – scoring one and assisting three in his first three games – he should have probably moved to a bigger club by now.
He almost got that move this summer but for different reasons, as injuries have hampered the development of the former Nordsjælland player. Prior to this season, Kudus had suffered three major injuries, missing out on 41 possible games under Erik ten Hag at the club.
Kudus thought he had been given a new lease of life after the appointment of Alfred Schreuder as new head coach of Ajax. All indications pointed to a redemption season for the Ghanaian after he averaged a goal every 36 minutes in pre-season. Kudus continued his good form and scored a cracker which only turned out to be a consolation as Ajax narrowly lost the Johan Cruijff Schaal to rivals PSV.
What followed was a series of cameo appearances which left the Ghanaian dissatisfied. Despite his blistering form, Kudus was only handed a total of 42 minutes in the first four league games. He subsequently vented his frustration through cryptic social media posts.
At one point, it felt like Ajax had seen the last of Kudus, who failed to show up to training on deadline day in order to force a move to Everton. In the end, the Dutch champions stamped their authority by refusing to sell the 22-year-old. Kudus, looking back on the summer transfer window, believes it was necessary for him to take that time off training to clear his head.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to train, but I’m human and had a lot to deal with in a very short time. The chapter is now over and I’m still here,” he told NOS.
He went on to add: “Everton offered me a great opportunity and I wanted to try it. No footballer wants to sit on the bench and neither do I.”
Kudus finally got his wish as he was rewarded with 45 minutes against Cambuur. He came on for Brian Brobbey in the second half and scored after just 20 minutes. Kudus has since not left the Ajax starting XI, starting the last four games in place of Brobbey.
So far this season, Kudus has scored six goals from 13 shots across the Champions League and Eredivisie combined. Playing as a false nine has enabled the youngster to equal his best scoring tally in the league for Ajax despite playing 573 minutes fewer. He is taking his shots from more quality areas (within the box), reflected by his 0.3 xG per shot in the map below:
Kudus can’t stop scoring, which is surely music to Schreuder’s ears. But if the Dutch manager cups his ears to listen carefully, he might hear undertones of displeasure from Brobbey, who seems to have fallen out of favour.
Currently, Kudus is outscoring Brobbey but the sample size for this season is too small to compare. If you look back at data from the start of last season, it’s evident that both players love to take aim, with Kudus averaging 3.2 shots per 90 whilst Brobbey averaged 3.1.
It is important to note that Kudus played the most part of last season in midfield, hence his superior xA of 0.29 per 90 compared to Brobbey’s 0.20. Despite the underlying numbers, Brobbey edged out Kudus for assists, chalking 0.35 per 90 to Kudus’ 0.14. This possibly suggests that team-mates are failing to convert the chances Kudus creates in games, hence, the low assists numbers.
Defensively, Kudus has put in more of a shift since the start of last season, which is in keeping with his midfield role. The Ghanaian registered more tackles (1.7), interceptions (0.4) and recoveries (8.4) per 90 than Brobbey.
Brobbey has also made it public that he wants more minutes. After he was dropped for the Champions League game against Rangers, the striker said: “I was a little frustrated. Which I think is normal, because you want to play.”
The 20-year-old admits there is competition between himself and Kudus. The difference is, Brobbey can only play as a striker, but Kudus can pretty much play everywhere from midfield to attack.
The Way Forward
Schreuder recently said to the media after the Rangers game: “I did say to him [Kudus]; don’t start thinking: oh dear, the trainer no longer sees me as a midfielder. It is not like that. But I am charmed by him in the front.”
Nobody knows when that charm will dissipate, but one thing we can establish is that this is unlikely to be a permanent move judging from Schreuder’s assertion.
In the false nine role, Kudus is able to demonstrate his versatility and dynamism as he drops into deeper areas to facilitate play and also arrives in the box to finish off attacks. It plays to his strengths because he is strong on the ball and can easily manoeuvre his way through tight spaces.
The idea of playing Kudus in a false nine wasn’t birthed overnight. It was an auxiliary plan Schreuder had worked on in training during pre-season. In the friendly against Red Bull Salzburg, Kudus started in that role and scored a well-placed header which followed a late run into the box. Realistically, Ajax are stacked in midfield with the likes of Dusan Tadic, Steven Berghuis, Day Klaassen, Keneth Taylor, Edson Alvarez, and Florian Grillitsch.
Contrastingly, it looks like there might be more room for him in attack. Schreuder confirmed to Ajax TV that his plan was to use the Ghanaian upfront this season.
“He plays very much on intuition and that means that he is very difficult for the opponent to defend. He is also very strong and agile. It’s not an experiment, because I don’t just do things. There really is an idea behind it. It’s certainly an option to list him as number nine or seven.”
However, there is a conflict, because in Kudus’ eyes he views himself as an attacking midfielder. Against Rangers, Kudus played the perfect game for a false nine. He won the man of the match after becoming the first player since Serge Gnabry in 2020 to score a goal, provide an assist and complete all of his passes (27/27) in a single Champions League game.
As a young player on a European night, Kudus was expected to be dozing off into euphoria but when Dutch media outlet RTL7 quizzed him about playing as a false nine, the Ghanaian realistically responded by saying: “I’m not a striker, but I give everything in every position. I’m an attacking midfielder, but it’s for the team. If I have to play elsewhere for the team, I’m happy to do that.”
Does Kudus feel good about playing as a striker? Of course, he does. Remember, he transitioned from being subbed on after the 90th minute this season to being a starter. Any significant gametime is an upgrade, even in an unfavourable position. The more important question though, is whether playing up front as a false nine is optimal for the Ghanaian. Although it plays to most of his strengths, it takes away a key element of Kudus’ game: feeling connected in games.
In their last two games away to Liverpool and AZ Alkmaar, Kudus has looked isolated up front, whilst his team-mates have failed to dominate possession and territory. In both instances, Kudus still managed to score and that’s because he is getting into the box a lot more often this season. As a result, he is currently accumulating a career best xG per 90 of 1.43 – a rate that will be near impossible to sustain. He has so far proved to be a lethal finisher, scoring 1.59 goals per 90 from those chances – a quite ridiculous return as we head into the first international break of 2022-23.
With the 22-year-old attempting an average of four shots per 90, it is anticipated that he will continue to score a lot more if he continues to play as a false nine at Ajax. At this rate, he will most likely smash his record of 11 goals in a season, barring any injuries.
On the other hand, he is touching the ball a lot less and can’t really influence games as much as he would like. So far, he’s only making 5.9 progressive carries per 90 – the lowest in the Ghanaian’s career to date. His xA per 90 of 0.21 is also lower than the 0.33 he managed last season from midfield.
There are benefits and drawbacks for Kudus in his role for Ajax this season. Although he may not be able to dictate the game from midfield like his idol Thiago Alcantara, he has the opportunity to engrain his name in Ajax’s long-standing history of star players to be deployed in a similar role on the pitch, which includes stars like the late, great Johan Cruyff, Rafael van der Vaart, Tadic, and Jari Litmanen.
Following the suspension of the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League season due to a High Court Injunction, Hearts of Oak engaged in a friendly against lower-tier side Tema United.
Hearts defeated the second division outfit 3-1 at their Pobiman Training Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Hearts winger Salifu Ibrahim, who has been in the treatment room for some time now, returned to score for Hearts, with youngster Benjamin York bagging a brace.
The reigning FA Cup winners used the game as preparation ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup fixture against Malian side Real Bamako.
Hearts drew a bye in the first round and will have to navigate their way around the 2021–22 Malian Cup winners.
They will travel to Mali on the weekend of October 7-9, 2022, for the first leg encounter. The return leg will be held at the Accra Sports Stadium on the weekend of October 14–16, 2022.
Before the league was halted by the Ghana Football Association, Hearts of Oak were winless in three games, losing one and drawing two, leading to the sacking of head coach Samuel Boadu.
The 2022/23 Division One League commenced on Friday with Match-day 1 fixtures, producing some exciting moments across the venues.
The first match of the season was played at the Tema Stadium, where hosts Attram De Visser were held in a 1-1 stalemate by A5 Rences FC. Osah Bernardinho Tetteh’s 70th-minute strike secured a point for the home side after the visitors had scored through Noi Jessey early in the game.
On Saturday, Bofoakwa Tano secured a slender 1-0 victory over Baffour Soccer Academy at the Sunyani Coronation Park. Junior Ranius Alipio grabbed the only goal of the encounter in the 79th minute.
At the Aliu Mahama Stadium in Tamale, Steadfast walloped Wa Suntaa 3-0 to open the season on a high note. Prince Karikari opened the scoring for the home side before Abubakar Abdul Shakum netted a brace.
Emmanuel Tetteh scored early for Golden Kicks FC at the Tema Sports Stadium, but two goals by Paul Kwame and Seedorf Asante handed Liberty Professionals a 2-1 win on the road.
Vision FC picked up their first win of the season by posting a 2-1 win over Mighty Jets at the Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex. After a goalless first half, Baki Alifoe opened the scoring for Vision in the 55th minute, but three minutes later, Usmanu Gyanyu pulled parity for the visitors. With 15 minutes to go, Festus Darko got the second goal and restored the lead for Vision FC.
The game between Kenpong Soccer Academy and Soccer Intellectuals at Gomoa Fetteh produced no goals.
The rest of the match-day 1 fixtures will be played on Sunday in the various zones.
Ghana have been housed in Group C for the group stages of the upcoming 2022 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship, to be staged in Algeria
The Black Galaxies have been drawn alongside defending champions Morocco, two-time bronze winners Sudan and debutants Madagascar at a draw held by Caf on Saturday, October 1, 2022.
In Group A, host Algeria are paired with Libya, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
Group B is occupied by two-time winners DR Congo, Uganda, Cote D’Ivoire and Senegal.
Group D and Group E consist of just three teams. Mali, Angola and Mauritania are in Group D, while Cameroon, Congo and Niger are in Group E.
The competition will be played in Algeria from 13 January to 4 February 2023.
Ghana are making their fourth appearance at the competition and are hoping to win the ultimate for the first time.
The Black Galaxies who are playing in the competition for the first time since 2014 have reached the final twice (2009, 2014), losing on both occasions.
Leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Otchere-Darko, traveled to England to watch the North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Partey’s Arsenal.
The Black Stars midfielder hosted the astute politician as a special guest at the Emirates during the game at noon.
After hitting a scorcher for an opening goal against their North London rivals, Thomas Partey offered Gabby Otchere-Darko the ultimate gift.
The Gunners were in blistering form on Saturday, picking all three maximum points to maintain their place at the top of the table.
Thomas Partey’s opener was cancelled by a Harry Kane penalty before Gabriel Jesus shot the hosts in front after the break.
Granit Xhaka sealed victory with a fine strike halfway inside the second half.
Thomas Partey missed Ghana’s international friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua due to discomfort to his knees and had to fly back to England before the trip to Lorca, Spain.
Ghana midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyereh opened his goal scoring account for Freiburg in their 2-1 against Mainz on matchday eight in the German Bundesliga.
The 26-year-old joined Freiburg in the summer from St.Pauli and has already registered his first goal after making six appearances.
Kyereh made Freiburg’s starting line-up against Mainz at the Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Gregoritsch scored the first goal of the game as he collected a pass and, without hesitation, fired an unstoppable shot into the top right corner.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh scored his first Bundesliga goal from a rebound in the goalmouth melee with a header.
![2022 CHAN: Ghana drawn alongside Morocco in Group C [CHECK FULL DRAW]](https://footy.ghpush.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Galaxies-636x424-1.jpg "2022 CHAN: Ghana drawn alongside Morocco in Group C [CHECK FULL DRAW]")
