Ghana international Thomas Partey has said that the Black Stars need more than just expertise in order to end their long wait for the African Cup of Nations. The West African nation have failed to win the competition in the past 37 years but they are hopeful of breaking the rut when Africa’s best collide in Egypt this summer.
Speaking to reporters, Partey, who is currently with Atletico Madrid at the club, said that the team require skills, luck and unity, if they are to make a strong case to win the continental competition, he said: “To win a tournament like AFCON sometimes quality alone is not enough. We have to be able to sacrifice and go the extra mile and with that and a little bit of luck, I am sure we will emerge victorious. Unity and working for each other will be vital because we have got the quality of players already so we all have to on the same page. This will be my second major tournament with the team so it's hard to tell what has been wrong in the past but we need to be united.”
Ghana international Thomas Partey has urged his teammates at Atletico Madrid to end the season on a high. The Spanish outfit are nine points behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the league standings and their prospects of winning the title seems improbable unless the Blaugrana suffer a string of shock defeats.
As such, it is pretty much confirmed that the Catalan giants will be crowned the Spanish champions in a few weeks’ time but Partey does not want the same to hamper his team’s performances, he said: “We want to win the games that we have left. We always go strong and we are happy with the victory. Now we have to think about the next match against Valencia on Wednesday against our fans. We have to win our games because we only have to be up if we win. That’s why we try to win all the games to add all the possible points until the end.”
Ghana international Thomas Partey has said that the eight-match ban given to Diego Costa seems unfair. The Atletico Madrid striker was handed a straight-red card during the recent league defeat to Barcelona on the roadafter he was found bad-mouthing about the mother of referee Jesus Gil Manzano.
As such, La Liga sanctioned an eight-game suspension for the Spain international, but his teammate Thomas believes the punishment is unfair and Atletico should appeal against the decision, he said: “I just heard it, I think it's too much. I think it's too much, it isn't fair and I hope we talk to them and they lower their sanction, because of the circumstances. Everything depends on the occasion and everyone has their own ways of doing things, maybe he has not acted well here, but for me, there are too many games for him and for the whole team.”
Ghana international Andre Ayew has said that he is determined to win the African Cup of Nations with the national side in the summer. The West African nation have not won the silverware since 1982 but they have made progress to the final of the competition in the 2010 and 2015 editions in Angola and Equatorial Guinea respectively.
Speaking to Footy Ghana, Ayew acknowledged that the players and country are keen on winning the African Cup of nations and he is optimistic of doing so at the summer tournament in Egypt, he said: “Everybody wants the trophy; the players want the trophy, the country wants it. I think we are going to do everything we can. But the Afcon is far; [from] now, there is time.
Barcelona forward Kevin-Prince Boateng has said that he has no regrets over choosing Ghana over Germany at the international level. The 31-year-old started with the German side at the youth level but he thereafter switched his allegiance to the country of his father’s birth before the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Boateng’s international career has been shortlived, however, with him not featuring for the Black Stars since the suspension at the 2014 World Cup but he still has no regrets regarding the decision, he told Sky Italia: "I did some things when I was young, of course I'm not very proud of today. Although they are part of me, they were not very positive. In Germany there are many ‘straight’, very correct, and they did not much like my behaviour. So I saw the really long way to get into [Joachim] Löw's plans, so I said to myself. They want me in Ghana and I want to play for the National team. And in the end I made a very right
Ghana manager James Kwesi Appiah claimed that the likelihood of recalling Kevin Prince Boetang is still open for the national team. Regarded as one of the enigmas for Ghanaian football, Kevin Prince Boetang has been unable to satisfy the immense talent at his disposal and he has become something of a journeyman.
He was a regular for the national team before being taken out of the squad in 2014. He has been placed under indefinite suspension for his verbal assault at the coach during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 31-year-old was found guilty along with Sulley Muntari. It has been reported that only an apology from the player would result in a recall to the national team.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised the qualities of midfielder Thomas Partey while stating that he could have played for either Manchester City or Manchester United. The Ghana international has developed through the ranks at the Madrid giants and he was recently central to their impressive 2-0 triumph over Getafe in the Spanish La Liga.
Speaking to reporters, Simeone was impressed with the showing of Partey in the centre of the park after influencing both first-half goals scored by Antonio Griezmann and Saul Niguez respectively. He added that the Ghanaian could have quite easily headed to the Premier League in another instance and rates him very highly within the club’s ranks.
Ghana international Christian Atsu has acknowledged that it is difficult to stop Mohamed Salah in his stride with the form he has been exhibiting over the past 18 months. The Egypt international was the standout performer for the Reds last term with 32 goals and 10 assists in the top-flight and he has continued with the same vein of form this season with 13 goals and seven assists during the first half of the season.
Among those, he contributed a goal and an assist in the recent 4-0 thumping of Newcastle United and speaking after that game, Atsu highlighted that it is tedious to restrict the threat from Salah with the ‘very good’ players around him, he said: “It's difficult to stop him as he's a great player plus very good players around him. For him when you have those players around you things become easy. To try to stop him is difficult but you have to make sure you stop all of them and not focus on one player.If you look at their results if Salah doesn't score, Mane scores or Firmino or somebody else.”
Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew has said that he is not concerned by the recent goalscoring drought with the Eagles. The Ghana international joined the Eagles on a season-long loan from Swansea City during the summer and he has since started seven of the club’s league matches with Christian Benteke on the sidelines with an injury.
Speaking to Premier League productions, Ayew insisted that he is unperturbed by his failure to contribute to the scoresheet for the south London outfit and he will keep working hard in order to translate his good performances in the form of goals, he said: “I believe in myself and have support from the club, players and gaffer as well.
Arsenal legend Robert Pires has said that Michael Essien was one of the best African players who had graced the Premier League stage during his time at Chelsea. The former Ghana international spent nine years at Chelsea between 2005 and 2014 and in this period, he went on to win two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup and the prestigious Champions League crown.
Speaking to Pulse Ghana, Pires was full of praise for the former Blues star and admitted that the Ghanaian was very competitive whenever the Gunners in the centre of the park, he said: “I played against him sometimes and he was very strong, very competitive and a very good player with impact, especially in his position. He had good technique too. You know if you play for Chelsea then it means you have quality and Michael Essien had talent and that's why he was successful at Chelsea.”
