I haven't watched this game, so I was wondering if anyone who has seen it can share some light on the tactics Australia used to hold Ghana to one goal even with 10 men. Ghana's offense looked potent against Germany, and there were 2 or 3 clear cut cases for a goal during that game. As we all know the biggest weakness of our team is our defense and I think Bradley would be wise to see what worked for Australia as their defense was even much worse than ours.
Honestly they didn't...I don't think any of the teams in their group did a great job of shutting them down. i think they do a very good job of going forward and they create some good chances....but they'd done a TERRIBLE job of finishing and decision making in the final third. I mean they all had two goals in three games and both were off PK's. We just gotta hope they don't find their goal scoring touch against us.
Yea it looked like us vs. Algeria where we could have put in 4 or 5...they really should have beaten Australia. Our biggest problem will be dealing with their athleticism in the back because our guys are not all that fast. I wouldn't be completely against Bornstein at this point at LB again...in fact same back line as we've had.
It's mostly been lack of finishing on Ghana's behalf. This is going to be a fun match against the team that knocked us out four years ago.
The Player USA and Michael Bradley or Edu or Clark got to take out the game is Prince Boateng hes been quality for Ghana
Australia didn't hold Ghana, Ghana held Ghana. In all honesty it looked like Ghana had the 10 men and were afraid to come forward and attack.
I remember it differently. Ghana was consistently shooting from 30+ yards out. I didn't think it was a lack of finishing, it was a lack of discipline. They quit passing to the wings to open up with a man advantage. There was even a 28 minute run where Ghana didnt take a shot. That is ridiculous.
The African teams run out of gas after 30imn of play. The US team has great physical stamina , yesterday even after 90 plus they looked fresh, the Ghana team against Germany after 30 min they were done. USA is far better team than Australia. Just look at the 2 or 3 players from Ghana on Revs team, they're 20 or 30 min players at best.
Bornstein stepped up big time. Sure. He was facing Algeria and they seemingly brought up more on Dolo's side than Bornstein. But Boca on the flank would be prone to being torched by speed. And Ghana has proven that they cannot finish.
This will be the key to the game. Do we get another slow start and pay for it or do we hold Ghana to a shutout the first 30 - 45 minutes? This will be it. Ghana will have a harder time recovering from their game than we did because of fitness. If we don't make any big mistakes in the back and finish our chances we will take Ghana.
They did have heart, but they also have talented players. Any team that can go out and beat Serbia in a do or die match has some serious talent. But you're right they did have heart. I also think for some reason the Ghanaians do have their troubles in front of the goal, but that is a shared problem.
I'm not sure Ghana was out of gas. They knew the score, knew the goal differential and also knew what lay ahead for them if they finished second in the group. There was no reason to go balls to the wall to level the score. No England, Argentina, Mexico. Some announcer suggested that the Germans should have let in a goal at the end to save them from that part of the bracket.
So they knew Serbia wasn't going to score again? Serbia scores one more they're through on goals scored and Ghana is heading home. No way Ghana let up knowing a goal by Serbia sends them home.
This, Ghana has not looked good vs any of their opponents. I'm not saying its an automatic win or that they wont score, but we got the opponent I feel we have the best chance against. The way they've played doesn't worry me as much as Slovenia or Algeria, although the Knockout Stages is a whole other animal.
I think we are in a great position to go far here and we need to take advantage. Have the capability to go the semis and play a Holand or a Brazil.
That's right, Ghana looked like they were coached by my kid's U12 team, whose motto was no shot is a bad shot. So some dinky kid would hit a moonball from 30 yards out on 4v1 and he would clap, "unlucky." (English coach.) Let's hope that they continue to think the same.
i thought ghana lost it themselves. there was a weird span of minutes when ghana decided to just shoot from 40. other than that, there were some poor finishes. at the same time, australia did play with a lot of heart. they're industrial, but they have some really talented players. i really wish we could have seen more of kewell.
Ghana aren't that good. Even with 10 men we should have beaten them. You're only worry is that they are probably the only African nation in the second round and FIFA may get up to some tricks to see Africa go well. On ability you should beat them comfortably. I estimate you are a 2 goal better team than them right now.
The Australia red card changed everything. The Aussies were forced to sit back more, and Ghana lost their minds. It's like they just assumed that because they were up a man the goal would come, no matter how crappy the chance. Constantly shooting outside the box, with 0 accuracy or pace. No imagination. It was a very poor performance, considering the man advantage. They looked much better vs. Germany, but only in the first half really. Even though they were by no means safe (a Serb goal in the other match would have knocked Ghana out) they looked lethargic and largely disinterested. They seem a very mercurial team. The lack of quality in front of goal is odd, considering the talent at hand. Of course, it is very young talent. Perhaps they don't have the discipline and experience to know when to make the final pass.
That's generous. Thanks, mate! We were one goal worse than them 4 years ago in Germany, and I'll settle for one goal better on Saturday. BTW, way to take it to the Serbs! You guys got off to a horrible start against the Germans, but you finished with a bang. And a pretty big scalp, too.