FIFA U-17 World Cup: 5 observations from Ghana’s game against USA

The Black Starlets lost 1-0 against USA at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi,India. Here are the 5 things we learnt.

The Black Starlets lost to USA by a goal to nil in their second group game at the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Monday, October 9, 2017.

Here are five observations as the team prepare for their final group game against India.

The  team   needs  to   defend as a unit

The Ghana Black Starlets had a torrid time in the first half handling the USA attack. The defense line Paa Kwesi Fabin fielded were Najeed Yakubu, Alhassan Rashid,Gideon Mensah and Yusuf Abdul. The USA attack showed much more threat than that of the Colombians in the previous game.

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The side were shaky in defense against Colombia and still shaky against USA. This time round it had a toll on the team. The USA side kept knocking and knocking on the door of the Ghanaian defense with attempts from Blaine Ferri in the first and halves .Danlad Ibrahim was also forced to make a save in the 16th minute. Tim Weah did pose some threat to the Rashid Alhassan but Weah's efforts were not productive enough.

Weah’s substitute Ayo Akinola came in the 63rd minute as he posed more attacking threat and ensured the goal was scored to get the winner.The Starlets team should make it a point to defend in unison against India

The big boys are yet to show up

The U-17 African Cup of Nations in Gabon saw players like Eric Ayiah and Emmanuel Toku light up the tournament. That has not been the case so far in the two games played in the U-17 tournament.

Eric Ayiah scored 4 goals in two games and was set as a player to look out for by world acclaimed portal "the Guardian". Aminu Mohammed who was also a talked up prospect prior to this tournament amidst him being linked to Manchester City has also failed to make a meaningful impact this season.

READ ALSO :USA beat Ghana in second group A game

The truth is that in the next game against India, Ghana have no excuse not to win the game. These “key” players will be needed to be key in the game against the host. Emmanuel Toku has also not shown dominance and creativity as much he did in the 2017 African Cup of Nations.

There is still an incessant need to be clinical on goal

Ghana Black Starlets are still misfiring. This has grown to be a real canker in the team which eats into the deficiencies of a team that builds up in a fantastic nature. Ghana experienced a whole lot of chances being missed one after the other. This included a glaring opportunity for Ayiah in the first half as he went past the USA goalkeeper Justin Garces but failed to stand his ground. Sadiq Ibrahim also missed a few but the Right to Dream midfielder has proven to be the best player in the tournament thus far for the side.

Ayo Akinola punished Ghana for the numerous chances missed. 

READ ALSO: Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin wants to seal the deal before the final group game

Ball retention in the middle was a headache

Coach Paa Kwesi Fabin made a very critical change which had Idriss Mohammed yanked of for Isaac Gyamfi from the previous game. There is one thing that is clear both Idriss Mohammed and Isaac Gyamfi will need to make their mark in the next game. Kudos Mohammed ended up trying to do the jobs in the midfield in ensuring transition and breaking up play which ended up sapping all the energy out of him.

Speed can kill

The Black Starlets are very quick in terms of buildup and movement towards goal. That eventually worked against Colombia early in the game but in the long run the Colombians dominated the game and had more chances.

This was because energy was sapped out of the Ghanaian youngsters due what went into playing with such intensity. In the game against USA, Ghana kept running towards the flanks anytime they had the chance. Gabriel Laveh was brought on in the 57th minute for Aminu Mohammed and the Tema Youth player run at defenders. The USA defense turned out to be so organized that did not work as the Black Starlets at that point in time needed to gradually build up play. USA full back Chris Gloster had a field day dealing with Ghana’s attack as all he needed to do was to keep up with the pace of the wingers who attacked from the right and block the crosses.

The Black Starlets lost 1-0 against USA at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi,India. Here are the 5 things we learnt. Read Full Story