Ghana can have big effect at World Cup, says Addo
Interim coach believes players have the quality to go the distance
Harit, injured during the match against AS Monaco on Sunday, has suffered a sprain of the cruciate ligaments of the left knee
Interim Ghana manager Otto Addo believes his team can make a significant impact at the World Cup in Qatar as the Black Stars prepare for their fourth finals at the global tournament.
Addo, with no previous senior coaching experience, took charge of Ghana in February after the sacking of Milovan Rajevac following their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“We can beat anyone. It’s up to the players, not me. It’s their performances that have brought them this far.
“They have the quality, with or without me,” Addo told the Fifa website.
“I’m responsible for putting them in the right positions so that they can produce their best performances, with and without the ball. They have to be able to play together.”
Addo, who is combining his role as talent manager at Borussia Dortmund with the national team job, will lead Ghana into their Group H opener against Portugal on November 24 before they face South Korea four days later and Uruguay on December 2.
“We’re going up against three strong opponents and we could lose all three games or win all three.
“It’s up to us and how we adapt to their playing style, how we stop them, how we work together as a team,” Addo said.
“Every single game is different and the first match will be decisive. The subsequent games depend on the first one.
“If we lose, we need to be more attacking in the second match, but if not, we can set ourselves up differently.”
Ghana will play Uruguay in a rematch of the controversial quarterfinal in 2010, which the South Americans won on penalties, stopping them becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.
“I’m sure that’ll be in the back of the minds of some players because it was a decisive game, not just for Ghana but for Africa as a whole,” Addo said.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s Olympique de Marseille forward Amine Harit has sustained a knee injury, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday, just over a week before the country’s World Cup opener with Croatia.
“Harit, injured during the match against AS Monaco on Sunday, has suffered a sprain of the cruciate ligaments of the left knee,” Marseille said in a statement.
The club did not give a timeline for the 25-year-old’s recovery after he was carried off on a stretcher before the hour mark during Marseille’s 3-2 win at Monaco.
French media said he was likely to miss the World Cup.
Morocco’s team delegation, including seven players, landed in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.
The rest of the squad are due to join them once they are discharged by their respective clubs.
Morocco kick off their World Cup campaign on November 23 against Croatia and also face Belgium and Canada in Group F. —