Tonight, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will make their World Cup debut in Qatar, and everyone is looking forward to a big win in the president's debut, but unfortunately, Ghana is never a weak team to be slaughtered.
Ghana, who first appeared on the World Cup stage 16 years ago, has advanced to the knockout stages twice in a row, which is a strong output. The generation of Essien, Apia and Boateng left classic battles such as defeating the Czech Republic and blitzing the United States, and established the image of "can fight" in African football.
But eight years ago in Brazil, Blackstar inevitably contracted the common disease of its African peers, and because they were dissatisfied with the amount and distribution of prize money, they struggled to catch the last train of the World Cup in three games and scored only one point (losing only two goals in three games and drawing with the eventual champion Germany). After Black Star missed the Russian event, undercover journalist Anas exposed a large number of corruption in the Ghana Football Association, President Addo dissolved the football association in anger, and after a re-election, sports manager Ocraku, who graduated from the University of Liverpool, returned to the helm.
This World Cup qualifier, Ghana returned strongly. With the away advantage, they eliminated Nigeria, the "African eagle" ranked 29th higher than themselves by FIFA, and won a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar, and Addo received all the members of the national team and the senior management of the football association at the presidential palace.
Look at Ghana's lineup and style of play. Compared with the team that reached the last four of the World Cup with one foot in 2010, the Ghanaian national team no longer has stars such as Gian and Montari. Coach Atto is also a rookie, so they have to choose to naturalize a group of strong players, improve the quality of the squad and strive to achieve good results in Qatar.
Thomas is the absolute heart of Ghana at the moment, and Addo's tactical set-up is also closely linked to Arsenal's midfield. In the national team, Thomas always plays the role of a midfielder, and the formation will swing between 4231 and 4141 according to his position. Regardless of the formation, the midfield is Ghana's strongest and most crucial link. Although Thomas's health management is always an issue, as long as he can play, he will play an irreplaceable role on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Idri Subaba is another important tactical pawn, who can either protect Thomas at the back or step back to the defensive line and build a back five if necessary. The 20-year-old is in charge of the attacking playmaking and the youngster who is occasionally promoted to the centre at Ajax has excellent passing ability.
Despite the many young talents in the front court, the most decisive player is still 31-year-old Jordan Ayu. Unlike playing on the right winger at Crystal Palace, Ayu Jr., who has excellent ball ability, will be placed on the left wing of the weak side by Coach Addo in the national team, so that he will get more opportunities to cut inside.
However, Ghana's defense is a problem, and neither Thomas nor Kudus in midfielder will focus much on interception, the former needs to play the launch pad and the counter-attack is completed by him, and the latter has to become a thruster to lead the attack to the opponent's heartland. So at one point, they lost three goals to Japan and Brazil respectively, which was also the biggest opportunity for Portugal and Uruguay in the same group - Leo and Núñez were good players looking for opportunities.
The most controversial X factor in Portugal is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in decline at club level, and the presence or absence of the former Manchester United number seven directly affects the team's attacking style. Today, the superstar has become a true double-edged sword, and no one doubts his finishing ability, major experience and forward courage, but it is also a fact that the level of competition is far from his peak.
In the 14 World Cup in Brazil, Ghana was in the same group as Portugal, and only lost a goal at the last minute, and this time again, Ghana is bound to give it all to qualify for the group.