4:06
With England set to go in against Ghana tomorrow night up in Boston, what can the Ganaians do against England? The man here in studio alongside Troy Simon and myself can tell us just that. So Sasu, for those who don't know, how strong at this time are Ghana would you say? I really don't know because like I told you, Carlos Curos is just having his second competitive game in charge of this team. Um the Carlos Kuras I have known from managing Iran and managing other national teams. He's very conservative in his football. He's very defensive minded and you need to play a more offensive quality of football if you're going to win. I'm hoping that he
is going to change this style, this his attitude because if he decides to play a defensive game against England, they're going to find themselves in huge trouble. Mhm. Yeah. And I mean, they've got players, some of the players we know, Jordan Au, Antoine Semeno. I mean, there's a player who can do a bit of a damage if he's in the mood. Troy, clearly he can. The problem is that at the moment, it's all to him. It's one so one-sided. They have other players Asanti as well who's just come up with Coventry. They got a few good players. Solomon who was at um was at Southampton and then obviously did well in Italy. They've got good players for I
totally agree with what you're saying. I think it's good to have a defensive shape and a defensive framework, but you need to then have some going the other way. And at the moment it is um Smeno or nothing. It's literally go down the right hand side, keep going down the right hand side and go down the right hand side a little bit more if it doesn't work. You know, some players are talismanic for their countries and Muhammad Kudus would have been he would have been critical to them in this tournament and not having them is a huge blow for Ghana. Huge.
Yeah. I mean defensively, Simon, Croatia showed that you can get at England. They lost the game by four goals to two, but they showed you can get about that England defense. Yeah. Because our midfield didn't do their job. Mhm. Um and I think we'll learn that lesson. I mean, both goals came from the Croatians having far too much time and space on the ball. Um and not being closed down. Listen, Croatia are not a bad side. We spent our entire time telling everyone that they were 170 years old as an average age. And they weren't. They were a year older than our team. So, we beaten them and a team that, you know, Philip Herkovich, the boxer, remarked upon in terms of how
they beat us in the World Cup in 2018. They're not a bad side. England, get the job done here against the Garnans. get the job done, then you can rotate the squad. People can get a run out. Ivan Tony can get made to feel important and play against the Panameanians and score some goals or whatever else. I don't think you should underestimate them. I don't think you should disrespect them, but you should do your job. You're a better side. You've got better players, you know, and I think that, you know, Sean, you know, acknowledged Thomas Party and all the controversy around him, but as a player acknowledged, but England are a better side. They're they have better players
and they should impose themselves upon the Ghanaians however they wish to play. If they want to open up and attack the English, I think that's a fool's errand. If they want to bank up and make it difficult, maybe we'll show England's limitations. But notwithstanding that, I think England will win it. I think they'll win it comfortably. I said last week on the show that I thought England would put on a spectacle that they'd win the game. I didn't expect it to be Croatian scoring two goals going at halftime at two all. But I thought England would be bold and they wouldn't just try and nick a result. They'd go and win a game. And I think they'll do the same against Ghana.
Oasu. Is there any way you can see the Ganaians getting the job done against England? Well, it's football. Anything is possible. But you have to be brutally honest. It's going to be extremely difficult. And this is because of how Ghana have managed their national team over the last few years. You want, you know, the World Cup is a very serious business. If you want to be a contender at a World Cup, you prepare two 3 years before. You have a vision. You have a plan. you have a coach that has the right vision, the right plan, picking the right players, building up to that World Cup. You can't bring a manager with a month to a World Cup and expect him to do magic. It just doesn't
work this way. Which is why even though we're not talking about Tunisia, I mean, they're in an utter mess now. It's ridiculous that you are bringing in a manager during a World Cup and giving him only two games. So I mean these are the kinds of things within African football that some of us have been talking about for so many years and we say listen guys. You can't manage teams in this manner. You've got to be professional. You've got to have a vision. You need to be disciplined. You need to follow it through for a couple of years to see the results come through. On that as why aren't some of the African federations listening to that? Because what you're saying is absolutely logical.
I wish I knew Jim. You can't begin to imagine the amount of emnity I get from people who are officials over these issues because I confront them. We have these very robust conversations publicly and privately that why do you keep on doing the same thing? I wanted to say something in addition to things and expect that you're going to get a different result. You just can't. I mean Cape Verde is showing how it should be done. Exactly. That's the And a lot of the successful African nations now have been building for 10 years, haven't they? in terms of national centers having their youth to if you look at Morocco for Morocco is one of the big teams that are
doing it the right way. Yeah. And I don't know if they're going to be successful in this tournament. They were very successful in the last one. But I guarantee you that if Morocco continue down the path they are going in another two or three World Cups, don't be surprised to see them in the final if they don't get They're giving themselves a platform. Isn't that's what you're basically Troy? We seem to have found someone who's in agreement with Thomas Tukul over Harry Maguire. Phil Neville in the Times. Um, if there was a debate about Harry Magguire's omission from Tukul's World Cup squad, the conversation ended for me on Wednesday. I'm a big fan of Harry. He says he's been a great servant for Manchester United, a great player
for England. He was a perfect center half for the way that Gareth set his team up, but this England side have moved on under Tuco. The team's flexible, adaptable, aggressive, very much in the front foot. It means the defenders have to go man-to-man. And this England team can't play that way if Harry is at center back. So why take Dan Burn? You tell me. For all of the same things you've just said there, why is Dan Burn there then? Look, I just think there's this wonderful notion now that people ex players within the media want to you want to latch on and be all palyp pally with everybody. You can say Harry Maguire in my opinion should have been in it. Yes, I understand all the things you're talking about tactically, but
there's another element to it. It's going to be a moment where we either need to see a game out and have a load of crosses coming in the box. He's our best header of the ball. Do you want Harry Magguire or do you want John Stones or do you want Kza or Gay? Give me Harry Mcguire every single day. Put his head on. You want to say something? Sorry. Managers are just different. They have their own philosophies. They have the players they like and they don't like. And that's why when we would look at a player and ask why he's not in the team, the manager has his own vision of how he wants the team to play.
And they're George on that accord, right? But it's also because they're privy to more information than the observers, of course. So what you have is what you see. You don't know the personality of the individuals. You don't know the robustness of conversations that might have happened in the past. I mean obviously I look at Thomas Tukorn on one hand we think he's an elite manager on the other hand we want to micromanage his decisions right so either believe he's an elite manager until he proves you something different or don't but to that you know when you're managing England it is a tough job everybody thinks they know better than the England manager everybody that's why we're all in a job so that's
but the other part to it though just going off what Phil's saying I think it's a sensible opinion from Phil Neville to be honest with you he stood up he stood it up we're talking I mean starting lineup players. Yeah. So he Harry wouldn't have been the starter for me by the way. So when Phil was describing this he's talking about starting lineup players. Yeah. So the argument is about starting lineup players. So if you expanded it out and say what does Harry McGuire bring to the squad? What does Dan Burn bring to the squad? Because Dan Burn's not a starting lineup player. Now whether Dan Burn can
play left back as well, I don't know whether that's part of the consideration, but it's a left field appointment, a left field decision. Mhm. But Tukul has his own mind, of course, and we can ruminate on it all we want. Um I'm waiting to see him be disproved of course and then we can all have a debate. But I just when Phil's making that logic he's no problem. Well then everyone that's for everybody then right so Dan Burn should you should also feel the same way about Dan Burner guys I'm going to move on before you leave us Sagal Norway what we're going to look at there.
It's going to be an interesting game. Um obviously the first thing I am hoping and I was discussing this with um a senagle manager yesterday Peptao that they need to learn how to take their chances when they come not to dominate a game and not convert it into something tangible which is having goals. They need to change that I think luckily okay yes Norway are going to play with Harland and he's always going to be a threat. is going to be a big threat. But is Norway going to put the kind of pressure on them that France did? I don't think so. So, I'm hoping that the pressure on the Seneagalles will be less. They wouldn't have to play so defensively. They can be more offensive in their game and try and get that result.
Okay, Osasu, we've loved having you on here. Good luck with the trip up to Boston on the bus and then a flight to LA. No rest for the wicked. Osasa leaves us. Asu leaves us in the next few moments.
