Regular Ghana captain Stephen Appiah, perhaps like all other Ghanaians, says the Black Stars will go all the way to the finals and win the tournament.
"When you are playing in a tournament in your country, there is always pressure in the first few games. But against Morocco, the guys were relaxed and played their own game. Then against Nigeria we showed character and came back to win with 10 men," Appiah said.He added: "With the support from the fans the boys will do everything possible to win this tournament. I know they can do it."
Ghana next face Cameroon in a tough looking semi-final encounter at the Ohene Djan Stadium Thursday.
Appiah is recovering from a knee injury he sustained in January last year while playing for his club Fenerbahce of Turkey. The long-time Black Stars captain was operated on in May but developed complications that have delayed his return to action.
Defence dilemma
The 27-year-old Appiah, considered the hero of the Ghanaian team with many in Ghana ranking him above Michael Essien, has been the Black Stars captain for the last seven years.
His injury ruled him out of the Ghana team for the Cup of Nations but team management opted to include him in their set up because of his inspirational abilities.
Ghana are meanwhile grappling with a central defence dilemma following the suspension of captain John Mensah after he received a red card against Nigeria in the quarterfinals. Coach Claude LeRoy, who once stated Mensah was amongst the top five central defenders in the world, said he was mulling over the matter and had two days to decide.
In one of the regular press conferences that the Black Stars have been holding here in Accra, Leroy ruled out the introduction of Shilla Illiasu of Russian side Saturn Ramekoye, who is coming back from injury and has yet to feature in this tournament.
Raised expectationsEssien, who took charge of the central defence position after Mensah was sent of, is not new to that role having featured in a similar position before for his club Chelsea.
But LeRoy refused to commit himself to playing Essien in the position only saying it was too early to decide. The coach has meanwhile cautioned Ghanaian football fans to keep their feet on the ground following their euphoric win against Nigeria that has hugely raised local expectations that the Black Stars will reach the finals and win the cup.
"We have to think about the semi-final. We have to think of each game as it comes. It is very difficult for the hosts to keep their heads. But we should not think about the final but concentrate on the game at hand," LeRoy said.
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