Former Black Stars coach, Charles Kwablan Akonnor, says the current playing body will need intensive preparation ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be able to succeed.
Ghana has booked their place in the 34th edition of the tournament slated to be hosted in Ivory Coast next year.
With a month left to kickstart the tournament, the camping base for the team is yet to be made known.
However, Akonnor, who also represented Ghana at the AFCON in 2000 co-hosted in Ghana and Nigeria emphasised the importance of meticulous preparation, stating that success for Chris Hughton’s team hinged on player discipline, focus and comprehensive preparation.
“Yeah, I strongly think so but you have to do a whole lot of things before you get there and these things don’t just come like that. You have to prepare, you have to be ready and also be focused. These crops of players are a blend of experienced and talented players, and I am very hopeful in them,” the former Asante Kotoko coach told Graphic Sports.
The 49-year-old gaffer urged the players to turn recent public dissatisfaction into motivation, aiming to prove critics wrong in Cote d’Ivoire and win the hearts of Ghanaians through victories.
He acknowledged the absence of the usual anxiety surrounding AFCON, attributing it to the team’s opportunity to rise to the occasion and perform well.
“Now you don’t feel the sense of belief and anxiety which usually heralds an AFCON; you don’t see that now but it’s also good because it will help the players to rise up to the occasion because they are looking for an opportunity to do well so I feel very positive about it,” the coach noted.
Ghana has been housed in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
The tournament has been slated to kick off from January 13 to February 11.
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