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It has been a successful and at times dramatic season for Antoine Semeneu. The Manchester City forward is not expected to be a key player for Ghana at the World Cup this summer.
That’s a view Asamoah knows and few former Black Stars strikers would disagree with.
“There will be a lot of pressure on Semenyo going to the World Cup,” he said Sky Sports At the PUMA launch event for Ghana’s World Cup kit.
“People back home have questions about his performance in the national team, but as a former player and a striker I have to be in his shoes.
Our relationship with PUMA has been incredible over the years. I’m a little jealous I didn’t play in a yellow shirt like this! But this new kit is incredible and everyone is talking about it. Yellow represents gold, our mineral, so it makes sense.
“There will be some pressure for where he is playing now. When you play for the best team in the world and you come into the national team, there are a lot of expectations.
“Everything will depend on how he copes with that pressure for the first time, because he has not been under it with the national team before making such a big transfer.
Knowledge with fans wearing the new PUMA World Cup kit
“He is now the face of Ghana football because of his position and what he has done for himself. Everything will depend on Antoine Semenyo for this World Cup.”
Semen also joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in January, scoring 10 Premier League goals with three assists for the Cherries in the first half of the season.
He also hit the ground running at the Etihad, adding seven more league goals – finishing as the league’s third-highest scorer – as well as scoring the winner against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
“Semenyo can have a huge impact on the team,” Gyan added. “He did great for Bournemouth and he had a decent move to Manchester City. He’s continuing to do what he does with goalscoring.
“He’s very good on the left foot, on the right foot, his agility, his speed, his strength. He’s done so well for himself so far.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa, where Ghana’s Antoine Semenye also scored
But it has not been a smooth build-up to the World Cup for Ghana. Carlos Queiroz He was appointed as the new head coach in April after his dismissal auto add, And he brings considerable international pedigree – the former Manchester United coach took charge of Iran at the last three World Cups.
Addo was relieved of his duties after the March international break, in which the Black Stars lost friendlies to Germany and Austria. In fact, Ghana have not won a match since qualifying for the World Cup, where they topped their group and face Wales in a friendly on Tuesday.
While Addo led Ghana to their fifth World Cup in the last six editions, he was also responsible for their failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year – something that has puzzled even Gyan.
“Sometimes it’s a bit confusing how we didn’t qualify for AFCON and then we did so well in the World Cup qualifiers,” he said.
El Hadji Diouf, Ricardo Quaresma and Gyan
“I am not part of the technical team, but what I will say is part of the game. The coach has learned his mistakes and corrected them in the World Cup qualifiers.
“When you look at our World Cup games and then the AFCON qualifiers, there was a huge difference. There was a lot of criticism around (after failing to qualify for AFCON) but the World Cup is huge.
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Carlos Queiroz got a taste of the Ghana atmosphere in Accra as fans gave him a musical welcome at his first press conference as manager.
“We deserved to qualify for the World Cup given the way we played in the qualifiers. But in the AFCON qualifiers, it was a big disappointment, we didn’t play at our level.
“It’s fair to say we didn’t qualify for the AFCON because we didn’t play that well in the qualifiers, but then we played so well in the World Cup qualifiers, so it’s a fair result.”
Ghana will also need to be at their best in a tough group – which includes England. The two met in Boston on Tuesday, June 23.
“For everyone in Ghana, this is a game they want to win,” Gyan added. “When it comes to world football, England is up there, but as a Ghanaian, I have to root for my boys.
“We have to make sure we stay focused because it’s different from friendlies – anything can happen in a tournament. We shouldn’t think about England or how they’re going to perform. Our main focus is to qualify from the group stage.
“But England are a cracker against Ghana. Everyone is going to be ready for that game.”
Quaresma, Gnana and Diouf with devotees
Ghana and England have met once before – in a friendly at Wembley in March 2011 when Gyan scored a late equalizer for the Black Stars in a 1-1 draw.
He reflected: “I remember when I was playing for Sunderland, it was a game I was looking forward to playing, because in all these years, I had not seen Ghana play in England.
“When the game came up, I thought, ‘This is it, I just want to do something for my national team’. It was one of my best games for Ghana and I scored in the last minute. It was a great moment.
Gyan is the only Ghanaian to score against England – could Semenye join him this summer?
“When the World Cup was drawn, I saw the game in my mind. We made history and I was part of that game to score that incredible goal. I’m very happy to play, especially against England.”
A similar result this summer would be great for Ghana – but the Black Stars will no doubt be aiming for all three points in Boston next month.
Asamoah Gyan was speaking at PUMA’s ‘Rolling Nations’ event in New York, where the brand unveiled the kits of the 11 nations that will participate in this summer’s tournament. The kits are available now at PUMA.com
