England couldn’t tame Ghana as their friendly ended in a 1-1 draw. A late Gyan show explained that Capello has many problems to solve as Live Soccer TV presumes.
For Fabio Capello, England vs Ghana appeared as a perfect opportunity for the Three Lions’ fringe players to acquire some experience points at the international level. So considering the crucial agenda of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United, there was no need for the Italian manager to risk the likes of Wayne Rooney, John Terry or Michael Dawson.
Those star players already have so much ahead of them to think about with the UEFA Champions League quarter-final stages taking place in April. In short, England vs Ghana was a great fixture to test how far England’s reserves have developed.
Jack Wilshere and Joe Hart, for example, are names that we’d expect to hear more often in a few years time since they have been described as England’s future stars. On Tuesday night at Wembley, both Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere were part of the team that faced 2010 AFCON runners-up Ghana.
So forget about the fact that the top stars had been dropped ahead of this friendly. This can certainly not be taken as an excuse; if England were short of the experience factor, Ghana’s momentum ahead of the game also suffered a big blow at the news of the Three Lions’ big names absences.
Now in case one may suggest that the match lacked equity on paper with Ghana claiming superiority over England’s youngsters, one may also remind that England benefited of Cuneyt Cakir’s questionable officiating. Cameras don’t lie although opinions may differ.
However, most fans may agree that Andy Carroll’s goal for England didn’t come without controversy. The Liverpool striker visibly pushed one of Ghana’s defenders to break free in front of goal before putting the ball at the back of the net.
And if this incident is not controversial enough, James Milner’s outrageous tackle on Asamoah Gyan 20 minutes before the end of proceedings says otherwise. The midfielder deserved to be sent off by all means as he kicked Gyan’s legs after pulling the striker’s shirt whereas the ball was nowhere to be found.
Well, England got away with it but they still got tamed by the Black Stars through Asamoah Gyan’s 91st minute wonder goal. Where did England’s concentration vanish in the last seconds of the game? Was complacency behind their failure to end the night with a victory?
In the end, Ghanaian fans can look back at Tuesday’s friendly match at Wembley with a lot of pride and more confidence for the future. The Black Stars’ spirit of resilience – that spirit that the world witnessed during the 2010 World Cup – has surely not deserted them.
Those star players already have so much ahead of them to think about with the UEFA Champions League quarter-final stages taking place in April. In short, England vs Ghana was a great fixture to test how far England’s reserves have developed.
Jack Wilshere and Joe Hart, for example, are names that we’d expect to hear more often in a few years time since they have been described as England’s future stars. On Tuesday night at Wembley, both Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere were part of the team that faced 2010 AFCON runners-up Ghana.
So forget about the fact that the top stars had been dropped ahead of this friendly. This can certainly not be taken as an excuse; if England were short of the experience factor, Ghana’s momentum ahead of the game also suffered a big blow at the news of the Three Lions’ big names absences.
Now in case one may suggest that the match lacked equity on paper with Ghana claiming superiority over England’s youngsters, one may also remind that England benefited of Cuneyt Cakir’s questionable officiating. Cameras don’t lie although opinions may differ.
However, most fans may agree that Andy Carroll’s goal for England didn’t come without controversy. The Liverpool striker visibly pushed one of Ghana’s defenders to break free in front of goal before putting the ball at the back of the net.
And if this incident is not controversial enough, James Milner’s outrageous tackle on Asamoah Gyan 20 minutes before the end of proceedings says otherwise. The midfielder deserved to be sent off by all means as he kicked Gyan’s legs after pulling the striker’s shirt whereas the ball was nowhere to be found.
Well, England got away with it but they still got tamed by the Black Stars through Asamoah Gyan’s 91st minute wonder goal. Where did England’s concentration vanish in the last seconds of the game? Was complacency behind their failure to end the night with a victory?
In the end, Ghanaian fans can look back at Tuesday’s friendly match at Wembley with a lot of pride and more confidence for the future. The Black Stars’ spirit of resilience – that spirit that the world witnessed during the 2010 World Cup – has surely not deserted them.
