Kwesi Appiah names his best-ever starting 11 in new book
In his new book, ‘Leaders don’t have to yell’, Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah has listed an 18-man squad of his best Ghanaian players.
Coach Appiah led Ghana’s senior national football team the Black Stars to the World Cup in Brazil 2014.
In his 400-page memoir, he offered his account of key events during his career as a player and as a coach and shared his thoughts on Ghana’s all-time best players.
Here is his starting 11
Gk- Richard Kingson: “He has a good vision of the field, read the game well and had good anticipation skills”.
Lateral defenders- Ernest Appau and Offei Ansah
Ernest – “During the 1980s when most of us were incorporating overlapping runs into our style of play, he was one of the best I ever saw”.
Offei Ansah – “He was the kind of player we referred to as a “hard guy” due to how difficult it was to compete against him. He was tactically disciplined and always had a winning mentality”
4- Samuel Osei Kuffour – “… he had a commanding presence at the back. His aggressiveness and his winning mentality made him a first choice defender most of the times”
5- John Mensah -“His height and physical build made him stand out. Because of the speed, he was able to cover many areas of the defence. He was very good in the air and used his strength to dominate opponents. “
6- Papa Arko- “He always played with an attacking mindset and was very good about switching the pace of the game as needed. One of his unique qualities is his ability to control and shoot the ball very well with both left and right feet.”
7- Michael Essien- “I selected him for this position on this team because he can play it well and switch smoothly if I needed to move him into another position. He knows how to make himself available for the ball, and he is very good at controlling the pace of the game.”
8.Stephen Appiah- “He was technically skillful, had good vision of the field and covered a lot of ground in the midfield. He led by example and controlled what was happening on the field with his ball handling and his motivation of other players. “
9.Asamoah Gyan – “Gyan is a powerful weapon in a team’s attack. He has great speed and knows how to get around defenders. “
10.Abedi Pele – “A natural leader, his tendency to always want the ball and his ability to create scoring opportunities for himself or other players made him an energizing part of the attack.”
11.Samuel Opoku Nti – “His high work rate and his intelligence on the field made him extremely successful at both club and the national team.”
Muntari, Tony Yeboah, Harrison Afful, Frimpong Manso, Sam Ampeh,Nketia Yawson, Kofi Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Dede Ayew, Paintsil, Boye, Edward Ansah make the bench.
I agree with him but i think Abdul Tanko Razak should be at the 10 position instead of Abedi. Reason being he reads the game better and much skilful. Abedi has a high work rate too but believe he should be at the 6 position instead of Papa Arko who should be on the bench. My thoughts
Didn’t he know Adolf Armah?
Love this. This is Kwesi Appiah’s best set. Adolf Arma, Justice Moore, Hesse Odamten, John Essien, Kwame Ayew, Ishmael Addo, Salifu Ansah, Mohamed Odoom, Mohammed Polo, Addae Kyenkyenhene, John Bannerman, Anna’s Seidu & Osei Kuffour forms my next set of Best stars.
This is how beautiful and proud to a Ghanaian. The field is full of great and talented players who served our nation with pride. I congratulate them all for their services to make our country proud. There has been a lot of them, like Mfum, Osei Kofi, Baba Yara, Agrey Finn, and great Robert Mensah you can name them. May they be recognized and say a big thank you to them all to encourage the upcoming ones to also play their role with selflessness. God bless them all.
Sam Johnson should have been part of the defense