Black Stars striker Jordan Ayew
Dutch-born former Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng has urged Ghana to be more patient with Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew, who has struggled for goals in recent times.
Ayew, 29, endured a frustrating 2020-21 campaign for club and country, drawing a deluge of criticism.
In his last games of the term, he drew blanks as Ghana faced Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire in international friendly matches.
“People should be a little bit more helpful and support Jordan rather than criticise him because it’s not easy to play for a team such as Crystal Palace because you don’t have many opportunities to score goals,” Boateng, born in Ghana, but who played international football for the Netherlands, told Citi TV.
“When he comes to play for Ghana, it is a whole different ball game. They are not excuses but they are reasons.
“We have to try and support more and try to understand the players.”
Ayew, who scored only one league goal for Crystal Palace last season, last netted for Ghana in a 3-1 win over Sao Tome and Principe in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars’ lead striker, his recent struggles has left many worried as the continental showpiece in January beckons.
“It’s a source of worry if we are not scoring goals. If you have to win a game then it means you must be scoring. Is it really an issue of striking? Don’t you think it’s probably because of the strategy or format we are planning?” former Ghana striker Augustine Arhinful said after the Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire friendlies.
“How is our striker supposed to score if he doesn’t get the support? We are not creating enough, maybe because of the format we are planning? We need to look at those things. Are we lacking strikers or a complete team play that will result in bringing in the goals?
“We are not creating the chances in the game for the strikers to score. We need to find the best position for some of these players to play a system that will enable us to score. Everybody must be allowed to play and we have to be concerned about how the team is playing on the field as well.”
Ayew and the Black Stars team are set to return to action in September when they face Ethiopia and South Africa in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.