A year ago
Inaki Williams, the Ghanaian striker who recently changed his country to play for the Black Stars in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has yet to find his scoring touch for the national team. In eight games, he has not scored a single goal, raising concerns about his long-term viability as Ghana's starting center forward. However, Ignatius Osei Fosu, a former head coach of Medeama SC, believes that Williams has not been able to perform well because his teammates Kudus Mohammed and Andre Ayew, who play behind him, prefer to score goals rather than provide assists.
Osei Fosu, who was part of the four local coaches the GFA sent to Qatar for attachment at the World Cup, suggests that Kudus and Ayew should be more creative and supply Williams with balls during games to increase his chances of scoring goals for Ghana. He draws a comparison with the successful partnership of Kwadwo Asamoah and Asamoah Gyan, where Asamoah's primary focus was not to score goals, but to make openings for Gyan to score.
In the Ghana vs Angola game, Osei Fosu observed that Kudus was not looking at the runs of Inaki, indicating that he was focused on scoring rather than providing opportunities for his teammate to score. Similarly, Ayew also loves to score goals, which could hinder Williams' chances of finding the back of the net. Osei Fosu suggests that Ghana needs a number 10 who prioritizes assists over goals to complement Williams' playing style
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Inaki Williams' inability to score goals for the Black Stars may not necessarily be due to his own shortcomings as a striker. It is possible that the playing style of his teammates does not complement his strengths on the pitch. As suggested by Osei Fosu, finding a more assist-oriented number 10 to play alongside Williams could be a viable solution to the striker's current goal-scoring drought. A playmaker who can create opportunities for Williams to utilize his speed and power on the ball could prove to be the missing piece in the puzzle. By adapting the team's playing style to suit Williams' strengths, it is likely that the striker will be able to make a greater impact on the pitch and help the Black Stars achieve success in the future.