Appiah must maintain defence list — Razak
Former Ghana international, Abdul Karim Razak, has urged sports journalists and soccer fans to rally behind Coach James Kwasi Appiah in his preparations towards a successful World Cup campaign.
Advertisement
Hailing the 26-man provisional squad announced by the head coach of the Black Stars, Razak said the best the country could offer the team was their support.
But he cautioned Coach Appiah to maintain his defenders list in his squad.
“The defenders are the backbone of the team, and since anything can happen in such a major tournament, pruning it down can affect the performance of the team.
It’s important for the coach to keep it intact, just like the three goalkeepers selected for the tournament”, Abdul Razak explained in a telephone interview with the Graphic Sports.
He also suggested that under no circumstance should Coach Appiah touch any of the goalkeepers, explaining that the goalkeepers list comprised of only three goalkeepers and it would be suicidal if he dropped one of them.
“ We cannot participate in such a major tournament with only two goalkeepers”, he stressed.
“ it’s good the coach ignored public opinion to include former captain, John Mensah, and half-fit Isaac Vorsah in the team.
“The provisional squad is the best of materials we have at the moment, so it’s up to the coach to select his final 23 -man squad for the tournament,” the 1978 African Footballer of Year noted .
On which players should make the final squad, Razak said it depended on the performance of the players after playing their two friendly assignments.
Razak contended that Coach Appiah’s list contained several midfielders and would be convenient to axe one or two from the final squad.
“Our midfielders can easily score goals, and we have many of them in the provisional squad ,so the coach can axe two from the team, “he stressed.