Ghana have gone through three coaches in 12 months and are making a concerted effort to add new talent to the team in an effort to reprise old glory and be competitive at the World Cup.
Otto Addo, with no previous senior coaching experience and combining his role as talent manager at German club Borussia Dortmund, will be leading the Black Stars campaign in Qatar where they take on Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.
He is Ghana’s third coach in the last year after Charles Akonnor was fired despite taking the team through the group phase of the African World Cup qualifiers into the playoffs in March, and Milovan Rajevac, shown the door after a disastrous Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon at the start of the year.
Rajevac was brought back after his exploits in 2010 when Ghana came within the width of the crossbar of becoming the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
But there were few similarities between the class of 2010 and the current generation and the Serbian was in charge for a matter of weeks as Ghana were humiliated at the Cup of Nations when the tiny Comoros Islands put them out in the first round.
That led to the surprise appointment of the inexperienced Addo, the 47-year-old former Ghana international who was born in Germany and played for the Black Stars in their first World Cup appearance in 2006.
He had former Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton as his advisor as Ghana rode their luck to edge Nigeria in the March World Cup playoffs.
Ghana were held to a 0-0 home draw in the first leg of the tie but then snatched a berth in Qatar on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw after a goalkeeping howler from the Nigerians.
Since then there has been a concerted effort to strengthen the squad by persuading players with Ghanaian heritage to join the squad, like former Spain international Inaki Williams and Tariq Lamptey, the England under-21 fullback from Brighton.
There are still hopes of adding the likes of Bayer Leverkusen forward Callum Hudson-Odoi, on loan from Chelsea, before their Group H opener with Portugal in Doha on Nov. 24.
Portugal ready to let their football do the talking
Portugal will be keen to let their football do the talking when they face Ghana in their World Cup opener on Thursday amid controversy over Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments about Manchester United and tensions between the squad and the media.
Euro 2016 champions Portugal hammered Nigeria 4-0 in their last warm-up match before flying to Qatar, offering some encouragement to their fans after a poor run of form.
But Ghana – who reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2016 – arrived on the Arabian Peninsula with wind their sails too after beating Switzerland 2-0 in a friendly.
The match at the 974 Stadium in Doha gives the sides the chance to lay down an early marker in Group H, which also includes Uruguay and South Korea.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos has come under pressure from local media and fans following recent disappointments – including a last-16 Euros exit last year.
There is also talk of tension in the squad and worries among fans that the team is too focused on serving captain Ronaldo, who at 37 is past his prime.
“The environment in the changing room is excellent. No problems,” five-times Ballon D’Or winner Ronaldo said on Monday. “The group is shielded. And I take this opportunity to say: stop asking about me.”
But the chances of Ronaldo stepping out of the spotlight look slim in the wake of an explosive TV interview in which he said he had been betrayed by Manchester United, prompting speculation that he will soon leave the club. Read full story
He led Portugal to triumph at Euro 2016 but World Cup glory has eluded him and Qatar represents his last chance.
Some fans say the time has already come for Ronaldo to step aside and let talent such as fellow Manchester United players Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo take centre stage.
Lining up against them for Ghana are likely to be Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey and Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams.
Coach Otto Addo, Ghana’s third manager in 12 months, has sought to rebuild the team after a disastrous showing at the Cup of Nations in early 2022, bringing in more European-born players such as Brighton & Hove Albion wingback Tariq Lamptey.
But his plans suffered a setback when both of his leading goalkeepers suffered injuries, meaning third-choice Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who plays at St Gallen in Switzerland, will be entrusted to keep out Ronaldo and his colleagues on Thursday.
The teams met at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when Portugal won 2-1 thanks to a late winner by Ronaldo.
