Chris Hughton, the Black Stars' head coach, has justified his decision to leave skipper Andre Dede Ayew out of the starting eleven against Angola. Ayew, 33, was not picked to the game's 21-man roster and instead watched from the substitutes bench, with Arsenal icon Thomas Partey captaining the side.
Hughton noted after the game, in which his team won 1-0 late on, that such decisions were an important part of a coach's job.
Although trying to establish themselves throughout the game, Antoine Semenyo found the back of the goal after a moment of pandemonium in the Angolan penalty area. The absence of captain Andre Ayew was conspicuous, and when queried about the forward's absence, Hughton was eager to stress that it was his decision not to choose him.
"You have to make difficult judgments as a head coach." "You know Andre's skill, but you also know the level of the rest of the group," Hughton remarked.
"In the end, it was my decision not to portray him."
Iaki Williams, the athletic Bilbao striker, is slated to make his debut tonight at 4 p.m. at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi. He has been chosen to the starting lineup for Angola's Africa Cup of Nations Group E contest.
Although appearing in six games for Ghana, the goal-shy striker has yet to score his first goal of the season and will be hoping to do so in his home debut at the Baba Yara Stadium. In 24 games in the Spanish La Liga this season, Williams has five goals and two assists. He has, however, been on a goal drought this season and is yet to score for Bilbao in a meaningful encounter. The coach, Chris Hughton, has chosen four forwards: Williams, Kudus Mohammed, Jordan Ayew, and Kamal Deen Sulemana. The midfield will be led by Arsenal's Thomas Partey and Edmund Addo, with Lawrence Ati Zigi, who played admirably at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, starting in goal.
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