Former Ghanaian international, John Paintsil, has shared his perspective on Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and believes that the team’s technical staff should pay close attention to Cape Verde and Mozambique, rather than overemphasizing Egypt’s potential threat.
Ghana has been drawn into Group B for the 34th edition of the AFCON, set to take place in Ivory Coast, alongside the aforementioned countries.
Paintsil, a veteran of six AFCON tournaments between 2002 and 2013, expressed his view that, at this moment, Egypt is not among the continent’s strongest teams, and therefore, Cape Verde and Mozambique are the real underdog threats to Ghana.
‘For me, the other two teams — take Egypt out — are the most dangerous teams. Cape Verde and Mozambique are the teams that can pose a threat to Ghana because it is very difficult to play against these teams” he said in an interview with Graphic Sports.
Paintsil also commended Ghana’s head coachChris Hughton, for introducing a new system that has bolstered the midfield and integrated skilled wingers into the squad.
“I’ve watched our team play outside and also in Africa and I can say the players’ performance is as high as it is when they play for their clubs. So, for me Egypt is not a threat,” he said.
”If you look at the players that he is using the wingers are very strong and they are fast on the ball and they have about four [Mohammed] Kudus in the national team, and all of them are very dangerous,” he noted.
The tournament is scheduled to run from January 13 to February 11, 2024, with Ghana’s opening match against Cape Verde on January 14.
