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3 reasons Kyereh should start against Portugal

In the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Black Stars have had a mixed bag of results and performances.

A humiliating 0-3 loss to Brazil, a frustrating 1-0 win over minnows Nicaragua, and a top-level performance in a 2-0 win over Switzerland amount to little more than an average grade as Ghana prepares to compete on football’s grandest stage for the fourth time.

Despite Ghana’s inconsistent performances since that shocking aggregate win over Nigeria, the win over Switzerland raised expectations for the team heading into Qatar.

Otto Addo’s men dominated the Swiss, and their dominance in possession and chance creation was rewarded with two goals. Scoring more than one goal is critical to this very young team’s fortunes, as previous games, including the Nigeria game, highlighted a lack of goals.

While this is a major concern, the team’s youth and brashness beyond its years have a similar feel to the legendary 2010 team, which came up just short of a semifinal berth.

It is entirely possible that Otto Addo’s men will end up grinding their way to a quarter-final spot, as Milovan Rajevac did in 2010. Several players, including Accra Hearts of Oak’s Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, impressed during the Black Stars’ final warm-up for the World Cup.

                                                                                                             Otoo

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh of SC Freiburg was one of the standout performers in the friendly, showing no signs of the illness that had forced him to miss three straight games prior to the squad announcement.

In the absence of Kudus Mohammed and Thomas Partey, Kyereh’s performance, combined with that of Salis Samed and Elisha Owusu, makes Otto Addo’s decision on his starting unit that much more difficult.

 

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                                                                                                               Kyereh

Regardless of the combination Addo picks to start against Portugal in the opening game, Kyereh should feature in that unit based on three reasons:

Emphasis on through balls

Apart from game management to avoid conceding more goals, there was little to take away from the friendly against Brazil. Quick one-two passing sequences were prominent in Ghana’s attack build-ups against Nicaragua, and it is clear from the Swiss game that the Black Stars rolled out another attack style by relying on through balls fed from the midfield.

Forwards were seen dropping into midfield several times, ready to pounce on through balls to chase down. Portugal’s new midfield – Reuben Neves-William Carvalho combo – is structurally flawed due to the shocking absence of the very mobile Renato Sanches and defence combo of Pepe and Jose Fonte.

Because of this structural imbalance, the 2016 Euro champions are vulnerable to quick build-ups through the middle, particularly with Bruno Fernandes playing behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Such attempts were largely futile due to the poor quality of passes. Kyereh’s passing abilities make him a top candidate for improving the team’s efficiency in this area.

Kyereh’s long pass set up Antoine Semenyo, who won a corner kick from which Ghana scored its first goal against Switzerland, which was scored by Mohammed Salisu.

Kyereh’s clipped pass found a galloping Alidu Seidu on the right in the 89th minute, who blasted straight at Yann Sommer.

                                                                           Semenyo celebrates goal against Switzerland

Set piece delivery

Closely related to the previous point, Kyereh’s contribution to Salisu’s debut goal resulted from a set piece, specifically a corner kick he helped set up. There are fluke set pieces that result in goals for several teams, but Kyereh’s near post corner delivery that was flicked into the path of Salisu was clearly a well-worked training ground move. Being effective in set-piece situations is critical for a team that has done its best work in defence under Otto Addo thus far. Ghana struggled in set-piece situations in previous friendlies against Nigeria and other countries.

                                                                                                                Jordan Ayew

 

However, Kyereh was not on set-piece duties for the most part, as Jordan Ayew was primarily charged with executing free kicks and corner kicks with mediocre results.

Jordan Ayew’s attempts against Switzerland were excellent, and Salisu missed out on a brace on the day after failing to convert a free kick. Kyereh’s deliveries in such situations were also spot on, proving quite effective and dangerous to the opponent.

Aside from his ability to thread passes into areas of attacking promise for the Black Stars, Kyereh’s ability to deliver from set pieces puts him ahead of the remaining contenders in the race for a starting spot.

Also read:  ‘We are all from different clubs but the team has quality’- Salisu

                                                                                                       Andre Dede Ayew

 

Balance

Otto Addo’s best bet is to pair Kyereh with Kudus Mohammed on the left and Inaki up top to accommodate the talents of Inaki Williams, Kudus Mohammed, and Kyereh into the starting lineup, alongside defensive cover in Thomas Partey and all-action impact from the middle through Elisha Owusu.

Kyereh, who is right-footed, balances the trident by providing the all-around creativity and secondary goal-scoring threat that Kudus provides on the opposite side.

While Kyereh’s versatility allows him to play in a variety of positions, including deeper in midfield like Kudus, he is most effective when played upfield and closer to goal. The issue is that Jordan Ayew and Andre Ayew play in those positions.

 

                                                                                                            Kudus

However, Ayew is a left-footer who does not balance the team out up top, whereas Jordan does balance the team out as a right-footed secondary striker, but his tendency to hold up play in transition deprives Ghana of directness. Jordan killed off transition opportunities in the face of Baba Rahman’s surging runs on the left on a few occasions, instead opting to play the ball back to maintain possession.

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                                                                                                                     Kyereh

After a difficult start to life in the Bundesliga after being promoted from Bundesliga 2 side St. Pauli earlier this season, Kyereh has been in fine form and, based on his performance against Switzerland, the bout with illness hasn’t hampered his performance, and he should be fit to start against Portugal.

 

Source: CitiSports


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