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5 observations after the Black Stars' group games in Gabon

The Black Stars of Ghana have qualified for the knockout stage of the AFCON 2017. Here is what we learned from their group games.

It all started in 2006 when the entire nation was engulfed in the Black Stars’ first FIFA World Cup appearance. This was massive. The nation cheered in one voice and loved every kick by the players who represented Ghana at the world stage.

The loved moved from there until hearts were smashed and crushed at the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. It has never been the same.

Ghanaians still believe the love for money from the Black Stars players is prioritized over their willingness to serve the nation.

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The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations came at a somehow nervy time. Black Stars coach Avram Grant’s position is in the balance with the hope of a fourth successive FIFA World Cup tournament for the senior national team of Ghana massively shaking.

However, the Black Stars fought through the odds and qualified to the knock out round of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon after winning against Uganda and Mali in their opening two games. Ghana lost to Egypt in their last group game and will play DR Cong in the quarter finals of the competitions.

After the group stage games for the Black Stars, here are five observations from Avram Grant’s team.

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Ghana have not won the Africa Cup of Nations since 1982. To see how serious the problem is, know that none of the players representing the West African nation at Gabon 2017 were born the last time the Black Stars lifted the trophy.

Avram Grant came close in the last tournament in 2015 when the Black Stars were downed by a penalty shootout to eventual winners Ivory Coast.

In 2017, there seem to be a little hope but one can’t quite put a finger on.

Host nation Gabon and defending champions Ivory Coast have already been eliminated. Algeria has too.

But the Black Stars have still not been a convincing team to fully back to win the tournament. Their performances have been hard to access despite thy qualifying after their first two games.

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Egypt was a test and they fumbled. Now, the only take from them winning the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Gabon is just to hope. But, is it not meant to hope?

Football is made up of two halves in regular time, the first and the second. For the Black Stars of Ghana in Gabon, there’s only one half.

The team were spectacular in their opening halves for their first two games against Uganda and Mali, playing abysmally in the second. The Egypt game had a somehow OK first half but the team really turned up in the second.

So what is the problem then?

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Teams don’t win tournament doing just half the full job. Work needs to be done in the team for the knock out stage of the competition where there is no room for error.

Black Stars must work and be creative from start to finish and that must start real quick against DR Congo. Else, Grant and his men will have the shock of their lives. Ivory Coast, Gabon and Algeria prove the tournament is not shy of such shocks.

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Jordan Ayew was criticized in the first, praised in the second game and received no verdict in the last probably because of the defeat and the fact that he was a substitute.

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For a player who has stayed in the Black Stars team for so long, some of his mistakes are unacceptable.

Jordan’s sense of indecision at critical moments is still a vital setback in his game. His selfishness could still selfishly harm the senior national team of Ghana and it has on many occasions when he hasn’t been brilliant like the game against Mali.

Going forward, he needs to make up his mind on whether to pick the flop side and be dropped by coach Avram Grant or be really good that we can’t complain.

The lukewarm attitude stinks.

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The look on Black Stars coach Avram Grant’s face when his captain Asamoah Gyan came off said the full story. A story that was confirmed by Africa’s top leading goal scorer at a FIFA World Cup tournament to Pulse.com.gh in post-match.

"I am in pain at the moment. I felt pain in my abductor and I knew it was bad. I will have an MRI to ascertain how bad the injury is then we will make a decision,” Asamoah Gyan said after Ghana’s game against Egypt.

This is really bad for Ghana who somehow still depend on the aged Gyan to come up with something when it gets tough.

If the scan does not prove to be good news, Gyan’s miss could be the Black Stars’ miss for the ongoing African Cup of Nations. Yes! It’s that bad.

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The Black Stars of Ghana have two goals on their road to the quarter final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

When it got tough against Egypt after Ghana went down by a goal to nil, Grant could not come up with a plan B.

That’s now how to coach your team to win the continent’s biggest tournament.

Avram Grant’s position is undecided. The Ghana Football Association will probably let him go no matter what happens.

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This is his time to make a mark before he leaves.

What a way to end your job than to be the man who ended the Black Stars’ 35-year wait for the AFCON trophy.

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