Badou Zaki, the head coach of the Niger national team, has expressed deep concerns over the decline in performance of Ghana’s Black Stars, drawing a stark contrast between the current squad and the team that nearly reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
Speaking to Ghanasportspage.com, Zaki offered a critical assessment of Ghana’s recent struggles, highlighting a significant drop in form and effectiveness.
“The Black Stars is big and known as the Brazilians of Africa because the team is very heavy when you check the players.
You have Seidu, Lamptey, Partey and many players who perform in the major leagues in Europe but I think something is happening.
You don’t feel like the Black Stars we know before,” Badou Zaki said.Zaki’s comments come on the back of Ghana’s disappointing performance in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Abidjan.
Despite the presence of talented players, the Black Stars failed to live up to expectations. “We saw Ghana at the AFCON in Abidjan but it wasn’t good.
They have big players, big team and players with good performance”Drawing a comparison with the 2010 Black Stars squad, Zaki lamented the gulf in quality and performance.
“We watched Ghana at the World Cup 2010 and they almost qualified for the semi-finals. There is mass different between that team and the current team.
They are not strong in attack and defence”Zaki also highlighted the team’s defensive issues, noting that they have been consistently conceding goals. “They concede many goals.
They conceded three goals against Central African Republic at home which is not normal. They concede goals every time,” said the Moroccan trainer.
The Black Stars will host Sudan next in the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers next month in a neutral ground after the Baba Yara Stadium was banned by CAF.
