Source: Kweku Lawrence/myjoyonline.com
Black Stars midfielder, Salis Abdul Samed, has attributed the team’s early exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup to a lack of cohesion among the players.
Ghana suffered a group stage exit for the second consecutive time after losing to Uruguay in the final Group H encounter last Friday. The loss follows the defeat to Portugal and the win over South Korea.
Although some players had the opportunity of playing together in the past, the core part of Otto Addo’s team for the World Cup only played with one another during the playoff game against Nigeria as well as AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and the Central Africa Republic.
Others also had the opportunity during the friendlies against Brazil, Nicaragua, and Switzerland but mainly the team had not played together for long, something Abdul Samed believes cost them at the global showpiece.
“To me, we are now building the team. We are learning because we don’t know each other, I think we could have done much more if we knew each other. I think that if the staff, management, and the President, Kurt Okraku could keep the same team or make some additions because we have good players in Europe, it’s a buildup team and I think we have the qualities just that we don’t know each other much”
“Even though we don’t know each other much we did well, though the nation is a bit sad because we were unable to qualify. We did our best, everyone gave his all, I think this team is very solid just we don’t know each other,” he told 3Sports.
Samed was part of the new players who was brought in by Otto Addo ahead of the World Cup after impressing for Lens in the French Ligue 1.
The Black Stars will now hope for a better outcome as they turn attention to the remainder of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
