Black Satellites head coach Maxwell Konadu says Ghana must balance their hunger for victory with tactical discipline when they face Burkina Faso in a pivotal WAFU B U-20 Championship group match on Thursday.
Ghana, beaten 4-2 by Nigeria in their opening Group B fixture, go into the game at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, needing a strong result to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
Konadu accepts the stakes are high but has warned his players not to let the pressure of the situation undermine their game plan.
“We are anxious to win the game, but that shouldn’t lead us to throw everything away. We have to manage the game depending on how it unfolds. Obviously, we have to be more aggressive because we want to carry the day,” he said.
Defensive lapses under scrutiny
The former Asante Kotoko coach has spent the build-up to the Burkina Faso encounter analysing the defensive errors that proved costly against Nigeria, including the penalty his side conceded.
Ghana’s back line was exposed several times in that opening defeat, and Konadu confirmed the technical staff have been working specifically on those shortcomings in training.
“We’ve spoken to the players and done some work, which we’ll finish today before the Burkina game. Giving away a penalty is never easy for a defender because they’re also doing a job for the team,” he explained.
“We’ve discussed what to do and what not to do in certain areas of the pitch. Hopefully, tomorrow they won’t repeat those mistakes,” he added.
Qualification on the line
The loss to Nigeria has left the Black Satellites with little margin for error in Group B, with the Burkina Faso match now effectively a must-not-lose fixture for Konadu’s side.
A defeat would severely damage their prospects of progressing, while a win or, at the very least, a positive result would significantly improve their chances of reaching the latter stages of the regional tournament.
Konadu is therefore demanding greater aggression in Ghana’s play, but insists it must be controlled and aligned with the tactical structure put in place by the coaching team.
The match against Burkina Faso will kick off at 18:00 GMT in Yamoussoukro.
