Head Coach of the Black Stars, Charles Kwablan Akonnor has revealed he plans to adopt the playing style of the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winning team.
According to the ex-Ghana international, who is yet to taste his first action after being made head coach in January 2020, he wants to replicate with slight modification to the style the national team played when they hosted and won their third continental title.
Akonnor, who captained the Black Stars during his time believes the style is exactly what Ghanaians enjoy. He’s very much aware of the demands of the Ghanaian people and the rage the people pour when results go south.
“I have a tape of the 1978 squad [and observed] how they played. We will modify it a little bit – that [style] has been my idea,” he said in an interview with the GFA Communications team.
“It is not about what I want, it’s about the demands of the people and I know the style of play that our people are interested in – we entertain the crowd, play a very constructive football but we have to be efficient at the end of the day because that is what matters most. You play, entertain and you don’t win and you will see what Ghanaians will tell you.
“Ghanaians are passionate about the game. I know what they want and how I can manage to get them what they want is the problem my technical team [has to solve]. And I think we will do this in a very positive way,” Akonnor added.
With a 4-4-2 system led by late coach Fred Osam-Duodu, the Black Stars slashed every team in their path to their third Afcon title in 1978.
The team drew one of the 5 games played in the tournament with Nigeria in a group A encounter – Opoku Afriyie scored twice in the final as Ghana beat Uganda 2-0 in the final in Accra to win the Africa Cup of Nations title.
Ghana contributed 4 players – James Kuku Dadzie, Abdul Razak, Adolf Armah and Mohammed Polo – in the team of the tournament.
