When Cote d'Ivoire imploded in Angola, Africa turned its beam from the team considered the continent's strongest, to the exciting young Ghanaians, who against the odds, made the competition's final. It was a second string team populated by about a dozen Nations Cup debutants, many in their teens and early 20s and a few experienced hands. Popular wisdom held at the time that the Black Stars had to be the African team to beat at the World Cup, when the injured stars showed up fit.
Post-Angola, an upbeat Rajevac, declared he was hoping to have the big guns back in his team to mount a strong World Cup challenge.
The chances of that happening are becoming increasingly remote as old injuries persist, and new names join the list. It appears coach Milovan Rajevac must do the Houdini once more in South Africa.
Team stalwarts John Mensah, John Paintsil, Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien are still injured, and save for the Chelsea man, the others are unlikely to make the World Cup.
John Mensah has had a recurring back problem that has dogged his season and made it virtually impossible to have a good run of games at his club Sunderland. He has even been unable to handle the rigorous exercise routines of his team-mates.
Fulham defender John Paintsil's season, may be over already following injury sustained in December, in Fulham's away loss to Chelsea. The word out there is that his season is over and his appearance at the Mundial highly unlikely, but Paintsil has vowed to fight on.
Stephen Appiah appears the least likely to recover having been on the sidelines for over two-years. The 29-year old isclose to a comeback we hear, but it is hard to see his aging body cope with the demands of best-class football.
Michael Essien has had his bouts with injury in recent months, and has not played a competitive game for Chelsea since early December. The frequency and length of his problems must be a source of worry for Ghana fans.
My worry is that Ghana may be caught between the hope for fully fit squad of top players, that may not materialise, and a fallback position of a mentally unprepared young team.
Time and timing are of the essence here, and the Stars and Milo don't have much latitude. Ghana must take a decision quickly if it wants to have an Angola-type World Cup.
The manager and administrators must decide whether to focus on the youngsters and mentally prepare them for the challenge ahead or risk waiting on a team that may never be.
Injury to Opoku Agyemang, 20, who lit up wings for Ghana in Angola, and his subsequent unavailability for the World Cup adds to the need for a clear strategic plank to go to war in June.
Personally I think Ghana's team to South Africa should more or less be Ghana's team to Angola.
That team's only weakness was its attack, and that's where Milo's focus should be. I think Ghanaians should look beyond Mensah, Paintsil and Appiah, and concentrate on making the team to Angola more competitive.
That way Adiyiah and Ransford Osei would have been in Sarajevo growing towards the World Cup. It does not mean changes can't be made along the way, it just means the youngsters get more time to visualise themselves as the gladiators needed for the World Cup.
It's a difficult turn to take, but it is better than being indecisive and immobile. Afterall you can't change the course of a stationary car.
credit: Kenneth Ezaga
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