Black Stars set-piece coach and chief video analyst Gregory De Grauwe has given a detailed explanation of his daily responsibilities with the national team following Ghana’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Belgian coach, who joined the Black Stars in March 2025, described how he plans, analyses, and prepares for matches, noting that set-piece coaching is still developing globally but is fast becoming essential in modern football.
“Even now in Europe, it’s not even so big, but it starts now, especially in the Premier League, where some big teams now have a set-piece coach. You see, it’s becoming increasingly intertwined with the football world. I will give an example from this week after the game that we played against the Central African Republic.”
De Grauwe explained how his analysis begins immediately after matches and continues until match day.
"On the plane, you already analysed our game. You watch what went really good and also the things we can improve. The next day, when we come here, we show this to the players - what was really good and what we need to improve. Then the same day, I get the clips of Comoros, our next opponent. I immediately start doing the analysis of our next opponent, but I already did some at home, just to see what they did in their last game against Madagascar. Two days before the game, we show the attacking set pieces of the opponent, what we need to do defensively, what they are strong at, and what we need to watch out for. Then we do this also in training — how we are going to defend these situations."
He continued by outlining the final preparations before and during match day.
“Game day minus one, we show what they are doing defensively, and we train what our variations are going to be, which zones we are going to target. Then on match day itself, it’s preparing all the set pieces so that everybody knows their task and position. We put it on papers in the dressing room, showing the players who they have to mark. During the game, it can be hectic when the coach makes substitutions, but we try to manage it so that everybody knows what he has to do when he comes in. So this is a little bit of the daily workflow of what I do now.”
De Grauwe’s structured and meticulous approach has been key to Ghana’s improvement in set-piece efficiency — a major factor in their successful qualification campaign.
Ghana will learn their group opponents on December 5, 2025, when the World Cup draw is held in Washington, D.C.
Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS