Ghanaian Ex-international Rates Black Stars Low Ahead Of Eagles’ Clash

A former Ghanaian national team star, now media pundit, Stephen Frimpong-Manso has rated his country’s national team low, ahead of next week Friday’s clash with Nigeria, megasportsarena.com reports.

Heading into the first leg of their final World Cup qualification play-off, which has already been riddled with confusion over a choice of venue, Frimpong-Manso opined that The Black Stars are weak in every aspect of the game.

He went on to state categorically that their biggest undoing would be giving incumbent captain of the side, Andre Ayew’s brother, Jordan, a spot for the March 25 first leg and reverse fixture five days later in Abuja.

Jordan Ayew has been Ghana’s top striker since 2015, but his recent struggles in front of goal for club and country have left him open to criticism from Frimpong-Manso, who created many exploits with Asante Kotoko FC during his heyday.

While pressing his point home about Jordan’s poor form, Frimpong-Manso advised the Black Stars’ crew to look beyond the Crystal Palace of England forward for the upcoming double-header against Nigeria

He stated further that the four-time African champions, who had a very disappointing time at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, must not put their trust in Ayew, who he insists has not done enough to prove his worth.

Frimpong-Manso told the Graphic Sports: “Our biggest headache is the attack, where Jordan Ayew has proved that he cannot be relied upon to handle it.

“Hence the need for the Black Stars coach to look for other options as we meet Nigeria in our last World Cup qualifier.

“Our left-back position is also a cause of worry, and against Nigeria who have sharp wingers, there is the need for the coach to address that area holistically.

“We need reliable defenders at our laterals to hold the wings of Nigeria, based on the output of the Black Stars at AFCON.

“We need another look at our left-back and right-backs, so we need to do everything to convince Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu, and Brentford’s Tarique Fosu to play against Nigeria.

“Another weakness with the Black Stars is the goalkeeping department where Joseph Wollacott performed below average in the AFCON.

“His output in Cameroun showed that he has to give way to other goalkeepers, and it is Richard Attah of Hearts of Oak who readily comes to mind. If Razak Abalora is in form, he should also be invited to join Attah.”