The Black Stars of Ghana finished the Kirin Cup tournament with no wins from two games.
The team lost 2-0 to Japan on Friday and followed it up with another loss to South Korea.
For some, it was an exercise in futility as the team failed to make the most of the November break, but Otto Addo and his technical team will strongly fend off those suggestions.
In the aftermath of the two games, these are some observations I have sampled for you to munch on.
The System.
We played Japan with a five-man back line, switching to a more liberal back 3 when the team transitions to attack. In that span, the team lacked cohesion, fluidity, and creativity. The team had seven shots on target, with just two on target for the whole game. How do you win games if you don’t create to score? I know in Otto’s defense, he will say his regulars (Jordan, Partey, Kudus, Fatawu, Inaki) were unavailable. What if we lose all these regulars to injuries? It’s football; anything is feasible. The ones that step in should be well-baked to taste as good as the former; what’s the point if the ones that come in are unable to do the job? It means you didn’t select or recruit right from the national pool.Do better.
In the game against South Korea, the Black Stars again fell, but it was a massive improvement over what we saw against Japan. They went for a back four system. You could see the pattern, structure, telepathy, the zeal from the boys to make an impact. In fact, before, Lee Tae-Seok headed Korea into the lead. Prince Osei Owusu teed up Prince Kwabena Adu for the opener, but it was flagged offside. His composure, steeze, and confidence to score that goal were reminiscent of the early days of Asamoah Gyan. The boys did well against South Korea.
Caleb Yirenkyi is a man on a mission.
Caleb Yirenkyi debuted for the Black Stars in May 2025 during the Unity Cup semifinal against Nigeria. Even though the team lost that duel to its noisy neighbors, the young gem drew a lot of praise from fans, marking the start of something positive after his inclusion in the squad.
In the two games against Japan and South Korea, he showed up and executed the task perfectly.
There were several instances of the game where he received passes from deep, maneuvered his way from danger, and still managed to keep the attack going. This trait is rare among Ghanaian midfielders. If there is someone who has this press resistant trait, it’s Villareal midfielder, Thomas Partey which the young man bodied so beautifully. The 19-year-old showed Otto Addo and fans that he can be an option in midfield should there be a need to tinker with midfield options in the future.
If there is something he needs to work on, it will have to do with that sheer adrenaline rush. If he managed to balance that potion, he could lace it with his other technical qualities and perform magic on the field.
Blunt Attack
In two games, the Black Stars lost to Japan and South Korea, but the other glaring factor was the lack of goals. The team failed to score a goal in those two games. A total of 15 shots with 4 on target is not a good feat for the team in the lead-up to the World Cup, where other participating countries are scoring for fun.
I have noticed how cautious and careful Otto Addo sets up his team. Most of the attacking players are stifled and unable to create and score something that the technical team needs to work on if the team wants to progress in the global tournament.
The game has evolved to a point where teams are set up to aid the attackers in scoring. Otto’s system doesn’t route to that note; I feel the attacking players have to be handed the free will to operate in the game.
Prince Kwabena Adu
The Kirin Cup 2025 saw most of the first team regulars pull out for one reason or another other but that didn’t stop the technical team from handing call-ups to several players in the lead-up to the World Cup in June 2026.
Since Asamoah Gyan called time on his career, his position as the arrowhead has undergone several phases with players such as Jordan Ayew, Semenyo, Inaki Williams, Kwame Opoku, and Mohammed Fuseini. All these players have their own attributes and what they contribute to the game at which time of it, but the inclusion of Prince Kwabena Adu to the squad brought something different. He was relentless in his pressing; his hold up was very good, and he even had his goal flagged for offside.
He may not be a finished product, but he can be the final piece in the jigsaw ahead of the World Cup.
Joseph Anang Tetteh was in post for the team against Japan, he conceeded two goals then Benjaimen Asare was back in action against South Korea, he conceded just a goal. He made several crucial saves to keep the team in the game, it goes without saying he pulled off a heroic save for Hee-Chang Hwang’s penalty.
The Hearts of Oak goalkepper might have his lapses but i think his strength outweighs his weakness which is best we tap into ahead of the World Cup.
