Ghana’s head coach delivered a candid and in-depth reflection ahead of the clash with Germany as reported by ghana football association via their youtube channel, openly addressing the painful defeat to Austria and the lessons his team must take from it.
“We’ve been here since Saturday… we surely had a lot of things to analyse after the last game, which was a big blow for us… we were very, very optimistic… but after the first half and two unnecessary goals, we really fell apart.”
He stressed that while the result looked heavy, the performance especially early on told a slightly different story:
“We were quite stable in the first half… we had situations where we broke through… if we are a little bit smart… the game could have turned differently… it could have been 1-1 or even 1-0 for us.”
However, his biggest concern was not just conceding goals, but the team’s reaction:
“What I didn’t like is our body language, our mentality afterwards… because 2-0, it’s not loss. We can still come back, and this is what I didn’t see.”
He further highlighted how the team collapsed after conceding, especially in key moments:
“We scored the 3-1 and then again had big, big problems… this is where we need our leaders to push the boys not to fall apart.”
Defensive organisation was another major issue he pointed out:
“When we’re not organised, we must be quicker in defensive transitions… when we are organised, usually nothing bad happens… we have to do this much, much better.”
On the lack of attacking output, he explained the challenge of limited preparation time:
“I got the players three days to the game… they come from different clubs, different systems… it’s very important to have a common idea… but we have to do better.”
Speaking on Antoine Semenyo, he defended the forward and highlighted his growth:
“Sometimes I don’t sleep to answer this question… we guided him… we are very, very happy where he is now.”
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Meanwhile, Softfootball reported that Ghana responded positively on the pitch with a dominant 5–0 win over Central African Republic, strengthening their push for 2026 World Cup qualification.
However, criticism from D Real Kombo was specifically tied to the Austria defeat. He questioned the team’s readiness for the global stage, warning that such performances could lead to embarrassment:
“If this is how Ghana will play at the World Cup after that Austria defeat, then fans should just stay at home… we cannot go there to be humiliated like this.”
Despite the external criticism and pressure, the coach remains unfazed:
“My job is always under threat… even when we qualified people were calling for me to step down… I don’t really care… we just try our best all the time.”
