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The five big takeaways from Ghana's bad day in Egypt

Pulse Sports, contributor, Michael Oti Adjei shares his five observations from the Ghana-Egypt encounter.

But what did we learn from that evening in Alexandria?

1. Grant’s days are numbered

It is now five games since Ghana won a football match stretching way back to a dead rubber Nations Cup win over Mauritius in June. Since then there have been two home games against Rwanda and Uganda which all ended in draws, away defeats at Russia and now Egypt and another draw in South Africa.

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For any coach that is bound to ring the alarm bells and fuel suggestions that he could be in line for the sack and Grant is having to deal with that. The Israeli pointed how well Ghana played, how much of the ball they had and they had been the better side not just against Egypt but in the last game against Uganda. All very true but also very irrelevant.

Soon he will be fielding questions about his future. GFA vice president George Afriyie said it was a subject he would rather not comment about if he personally thought Grant should stay. He suggested if any decision has to be made, it has to be collective. None is likely to be made now. What is increasingly clear is that Avram Grant will not be Ghana’s coach after the 2017 Nations Cup. And even that is if someone does not decide early that the recent run of form does not bode well for the country in Gabon next year.

2.  Badly needed: A direct approach

There is one thing you have to agree with Avram Grant on; in recent games, even though the Black Stars have not won, they have seen a lot of the ball  and against Uganda created chances. Against Egypt though there were not many. For all that is said about the first half possession, Ghana seemed to dominate in areas that didn’t hurt. The corner kick counts racked up very early but at no point was Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary asked any serious questions.

Part of Ghana’s problem was  that there was no one looking to dominate in the box. The football was beautiful and effective in areas that did not matter. Wakasso was playing some superb passes but not many into the 18 yard box. For all his first half endeavor, Christian Atsu was not providing telling crosses. And Jordan Ayew who played upfront with his brother Dede seemed to spend way too much time outside the box so Ghana was rarely engaging the Egypt defenders where they needed to engage them most. At times it looked pointless.

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Mubarak Wakaso has been one of Ghana’s most reliable source of goals in recent years. That says a lot doesn’t it? Asamoah Gyan has not scored since his fine effort against Algeria and Jordan Ayew does not look like a player you can count on for goals. Majeed Warris’ Black Stars career is drifting into the forgettable. There are not many options yet it seems to be the most pressing need for the Black Stars now.

Ghana has scored one goal in the last three competitive games; against Rwanda in Accra. In the last four games, the Black Stars have scored twice including one from the penalty spot. In five matches, they have scored two. The numbers suggest a team in need of something drastic in search for goals. And unless that is sorted out, the Nations Cup in Gabon will be an absolute nightmare.

4. Whatever happened to our big names?

In games of this nature, it is generally assumed that your big names step up and simply deliver. Effectively they decide it is theirs to win. Not for Ghana for whom too many big names have been having too many off days.

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Dede Ayew rarely figured in the game, his brother Jordan did not bring the cutting edge required upfront and Christian Atsu weaved and dance around his marker without supplying many decent crosses to to feed the Ghana numbers in the box. At the back, Harrison Afful looked good until two crucial moments, first for the penalty and then in the build up to the second good. Then for long spells, his crosses which at some point was his biggest asset completely disappeared. Bottom line is in the areas that mattered most, Ghana’s big names and supposed game changers didn’t produce enough

5. Egypt mean business

A packed stadium, a raucous atmosphere, red everywhere and a stadium enveloped in passion. Many of the Black Stars players would have looked on in amazement at just how much devotion the Egypt team enjoys. It was incredible.

But where they thrived most seemed to be from the pragmatism of their coach Hector Cuper. In a packed stadium like that and with passions running so high, the temptation would have been to fight fire with fire and try to beat the Black Stars at possession. Instead he urged his team to stay calm, didn’t seem bothered about not having the ball so long as they defended well and stayed patient. It paid off.

After the game he had to defend the style of play rather than explain a poor result. Avram Grant would have wished for something similar.

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