Former Ghana international, Augustine Ahinful, has called for a strong response from the Black Stars’ technical team following their heavy 5–1 defeat to Austria on Friday. It is the heaviest defeat Ghana has suffered in 19 years, since the 5-0 loss to Saudi Arabia.
Augustine, speaking to Luv FM in the aftermath of the loss, urged a more professional and detailed approach to correcting mistakes ahead of their next match against Germany.
Ahinful did not hold back in his assessment, insisting that the coaching staff must take immediate responsibility by reviewing the game thoroughly with the players.
“If I were part of this team or the coach, we would sit down together, go through the game, and pause at every mistake,” he said. “You point out where things went wrong and explain how it should have been done, especially in transition.”
Ahinful highlighted Ghana’s sluggish movement when switching from defense to attack as a major concern, pointing to a specific moment involving Thomas Partey.
According to him, the midfielder was forced to retreat under pressure due to a lack of forward support, eventually recycling possession back into Ghana’s own half.
“At one point, Thomas Partey was moving forward but had to turn back because there was no support. He passed to Sibo, and suddenly the ball was back in our half. That tells you everything about how slow we were in transition,” he explained.
The former striker emphasised that such issues should be addressed internally through detailed video analysis sessions involving both players and the technical staff.
“You sit behind the television with the technical men and address these issues. Then the players go back to their rooms and reflect on what they did and what they need to improve before the next game,” he added.
Ahinful further questioned the effectiveness of the current technical setup, warning that decisive action must be taken if improvements are not seen.
“The whole technical team needs to sit up. Either we believe in them, and they step up properly, or we start considering other options,” he stated.
With another crucial fixture against Germany looming on Monday, there’s growing pressure on Otto Addo and his coaching staff to respond swiftly and restore confidence ahead of the World Cup in June.
