SFG Guide to AFCON 2015 | Page 59

captain Asamoah Gyan, who played, who playedin the 2006 World Cup, is still only 29, while the majority of the star names in the side are around 23 or 24. And yet despite this, many of these players already have in excess of 20-30 caps; Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Andre Ayew, who both turned 24 in December, have 57 caps each, one fewer than Michael Essien at 32. This is one of the legacies of the 2009 U20 World Cup win; this team has time and energy on its side.

Weaknesses

The defence - Despite a recent history of producing good defensively-minded central midfielders and relatively conservative tactics, defending has been a problem for Ghana in recent years. This is mainly due to the lack of depth, particularly at full-back; Kwadwo Asamoah, who misses this tournament due to injury, has spent much of the last couple of years filling in at left-back despite being the team's most talented midfielder. However, Augsburg youngster Baba Rahman seems to developing into a fine solution to that problem. Jonathan Mensah and John Boye are the established centre-back pairing but there's no one with experience behind them.

Key Player

Andre Ayew - Asamoah Gyan might be the spiritual leader and perennial saviour of this team, but the elder Ayew is Ghana's most talented player. As he demonstrated during the World Cup, on his day he is one of the best attackers in Africa, but often drifts out of games too. He is the main creative force and will also be expected to support the strikers with the odd goal.

strikers with the odd goal.

The Hipster Choice

Baba Rahman - A welcomed solution to the left-back problem which had been troubling Ghanaian football for sometime, the rise to prominence of Augsburg's Baba Rahman means they can stop worrying about a part of their defence. Asamoah's injury for this tournament gives Rahman his chance to show what he can do, although he was already a regular in qualifying, one of the few positives from the campaign for the Black Stars.

The Coach

Avram Grant - The butt of so many relegation-based jokes in England, it's easy to forget Avram has managed in international football before, and did relatively well. From 2002 to 2005, he was manager of Israel, achieving the best win record since the 1970s. However, in this situation he was considered a disappointingly conservative appointment, with the Ghanaian FA falling back on an established foreigner rather than a home-grown talent.

SFG Predicts

Quarter-finals - Despite the tough group and mediocre form, its hard to believe they won't qualify for the knockout stages, as they are generally difficult to beat and that won't change under Avram. However, with a tough draw, that may be the limit this time.

By James Bennett (@jabennett_)