Time to rebuild for Black Stars after 2018 World Cup qualification failure

Ghana’s dream of a fourth consecutive appearance at the World Cup Finals is now over as a dismal 0-0 draw with Uganda coupled with Egypt’s 2-1 triumph over Congo means they have been eliminated with one match still to play.

They face Egypt on November 12 in a meaningless encounter and to keep up the interest in the proverbial ‘dead rubber’, why not have a flutter on the game, with all the best tips available at Bethut?

In truth, the Black Stars did not do enough to deserve a place in Russia next summer, with just six goals scored from five games clearly an Achilles heel.

It is true that Kwasi Appiah’s side have lost only once in qualifying - a 2-0 reverse to The Pharaohs in November 2016 - but they have won just once as well and that is never going to be enough to top the group.

An even more damning statistic is the fact that five of their six goals came in one game – the 5-1 thrashing of basement side Congo – with Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey scoring a hat-trick.

Two goalless draws with Uganda have ultimately cost the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists a place at the showpiece event as a brace of victories would have set up a winner-takes-all clash with Egypt next month.

So where has it all gone wrong?

The buck usually stops with the coach but it is clear that the fault does not lie entirely with Appiah as he was drafted in as an emergency measure after Avram Grant’s resignation earlier this year.

Having led Ghana to the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the former Chelsea manager felt he could do no more after his side fell in the last four earlier in 2017, and it was left to Appiah to pick up the pieces.

There is a saying in football that you never go back to manage a side for a second time but, having been in charge of the between 2012 and 2014, that is exactly what the 57-year-old did.

It always looked like a tough task and there is no question that the uncertainty surrounding the coaching situation has not helped matters.

There was enough talent in the squad to get the job done, with many players plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues.

The Ayew brothers at West Ham and Swansea, plus Crystal Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp, Daniel Amartey of Leicester City and Newcastle United’s Christian Atsu are household names in England while captain Asamoah Gyan is now at Turkish club Kayserispor.

The one positive to come out of qualification failure is that the squad is young and will learn from the experience, with players such as Lumor Agbenyenu, Andy Yiadom and Amartey set to be around for a long time.

The World Cup will not come around for another five years and so the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations must be the next target for the Black Stars, who have the players to make a real splash – they just need direction.

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