Kofi Owusu Aduonum
13 November 2009
Accra — If the words in the originator of 'Burger Highlife', George Darko's (Nana Ampem Darko) track - "Let the children play", is anything to go by, then it will be Black Stars manager, Milovan Ragevac's guide to finish the long journey to Angola and South Africa on a bright note.
The Stars return to the Garden City, Kumasi, where they started their conquest, to host their Malian counterparts in the last tango, and my BIG mouth is that the only way Milo will finish on a good footing is by allowing the young invited players to prove their mettle.
Indeed, the story of the Stars-Squirrels second leg clash would have been different if Milo had given players like Derek Boateng, Rahim Ayew and others the chance to prove their mettle. After all, Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah and co had only their reputation at stake; they were not hungry for a win, a desire those on the bench would have pursued with all diligence.
As World/ Nations Cup candidates, Ghana has nothing but their reputation to lose in Sunday's game, and if Milo would allow the "children"-the Adiyiahs, Dedes, Rahims, Lee Addys and Agyemang Badus among others, he would come out victorious.
Fielding the "new guys" has two pronged benefits; first they will go the extra mile to justify themselves as well as provide the coach with many options, should the "Big guys" at a point fail to respond to national duty.
Another reason this writer is advocating the fielding of the "freshers" is the launch of the Michael Essien Foundation(MEF) which falls on the eve of the game, and I hear it will attract some of the "Big" guys.
Fatigue will certainly take the better part of them and they should be rested for the "Children" to play, after all the MEF is equally an important project worthy of supporting.
I saw his Chelsea play mates Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry on one of the local TV networks pledging their support for the MEF project, a project that seeks to breathe life into the Awutu Breku Community.
The story of Kwadjo Asamoah, during his Liberty Professional days in the CAN 2008 nations Cup should guide Milo not to repeat the mistake of his predecessor Claude Le Roy.
Le Roy had such talent in his team, but he failed to make use of him, and this goes to support the adage that if you don't know the use of an opener, the tendency of using your teeth to open a bottled drink is high. Aziz Ansah playing alongside Samuel Inkoom at the lateral defense would be a perfect combination.
But one player whose inclusion will help the team is U-21 World Cup winner David Addy, arguably, one of the finest defenders in the Egypt showpiece. His numerous crosses resulted in most of the Satellites goals which saw the Ghanaians emerging tops in the championship.
As they started in Kumasi going past Benin 1-0, there is the possibility that they will end in similar fashion, should Coach Milo allow the "Children" to play on Sunday.
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