Ghana/Libya: Libya Gives Rajevac Food for Thought

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Kickoff (Cape Town)

6 September 2008
Posted to the web 6 September 2008

Milovan Rajevac panted up and down the technical area as Ghana struggled to get a grip on a game that was supposed to afford the country's players the chance to show what they have got.

The Serbian in his first game in charge needed a positive result to silence those still in doubt about his suitability for the job but instead the display raised many questions particularly about his preference for a certain 4-2-3-1 system.

Ghana looked lost for long spells of the game and while there is no fear this side will go through the next qualifying stage, there will be many Ghanaians worried how this team that has looked so inept on the road will cope when they are thrown in with the big boys of African football.

Libya was always going to be a difficult game but to qualify for major tournaments in a marathon qualifier like this, you must show an ability to pick up points on difficult trips like this and Ghana just did not come through that well.

Too many mistakes at the back, a midfield that disappeared once Michael Essien had been stretchered off with in tears and a one man attack that is as inept as it gets. Rajevac will have his hands full before Ghana gets back to the field for the October 12th meeting against Lesotho in Kumasi.

In fairness to the Serbian he has said he will not be rigid with the 4-2-3-1 system. If you have the Black Stars at heart you have to sing praises to that because Ghana has never functioned well with one man on top of the attack.

During the frantic activity of June qualifiers when the Black Stars hit eight goals in four matches, an average of two per games, it was largely because Junior Agogo played with Prince Tagoe alongside him. The Zamalek man scored three times while Tagoe got two.

Agogo has force and strength but with each game, his lack of flair and good ball control is exposed and that by common football sense just does not make for a good front man. He was poor at holding up the ball which meant the Libyans had it back as quickly as it went into their final third.

Another area the Serbian will be hard pressed to look at is the lateral defence. One game will not trigger wholesale changes but someone surely will sit those players through the game again and count the number of times they dwelt too much on the ball and lost it when a simple ball would have sufficed. Harrison Afful committed too many of those and so did John Paintsil as well as Sulley Muntari who failed to take control when it mattered most.

There is a sense that too many players have become comfortable now, assured of the star status when hunger is what is required to take this team to the world cup again. When Ghana qualified for the 2006 World Cup it was because they players were tough in enemy territory and the draw against Congo DR in Kinsasha and the win in Johannesburg over Bafana Bafana was evidence of that.

It will require a similar spirit and a slight change of personnel. It will require a little shake up, a little reminder from the Serbian that no one's place is guaranteed to get that out of his team. And hopefully from him too a change in approach.

Some of the changes on the evening baffled. Laryea Kingston was one of Ghana's most industrious players when he was taken off while Haminu Dramani laboured on the left. He seemed to have set his team out to defend and when Essien went off, the whole structure broke down.

But just how could a team full on talent as this break down so spectacularly on the departure of one man? It is a question those players must answer themselves.

But in the midst of all the negatives there were positives. To see Stephen Appiah last for seventy five minutes was touching. We have a soft spot for the captain in Ghana and his touches when he came on nearly opened up the game. But as the game progressed you saw he has been out for long. At some point he barely could cope with the flow and pace of play.

Yet just the fact he is back again will be a source of hope to many. So will the performance of Jonathan Quartey the Kaizer Chiefs defender. There is space in that central defence and Quartey with his tackles and clearances has given Rajavac reason to look at him again when he is picking his next squad.

For the Serbian it's been a poor start which means the honeymoon is effectively over with the World Cup campaign now resting on a big win against Lesotho.

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