Ghana national team head coach Chris Hughton says he is aware of the pressure to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Black Stars go into the 34th edition of the continental showpiece in search of the first AFCON title win since 1982 and the fans are eagerly waiting for another moment to celebrate which the English manager is very much aware of.
Speaking to the press ahead of his side’s first Group game against Cape Verde, Hughton spoke about his side’s sound preparation and how they hope to start on a good note on Sunday.
“We had our training camp in Kumasi and the travel time here was very short. It has been a good camp and good spirit so far and I want to believe the players are well prepared,” began Hughton.
“As regards expectations, we can only expect if we perform well enough. Our objective is to be able to play at a high level and win the game tomorrow. We do not want to speak too far just one day into the tournament but we would like to get off to a winning start,” he added.
On the pressure to deliver the AFCON, Hughton said: “As head coach, you have to expect high expectations. We have fanatical support, Ghanaians love their support and they love this competition, With that, there is pressure to deliver on every one. So, we cannot avoid this and the pressure comes with the desire to do well in the competition.
On the change of approach and the recent first-half performances: “For the period I have been around, I have been very cautious of the areas we need to improve and this is the job of the head coach to improve all areas. We have managed to be here and this is competition mode and we know that anything can happen. I know that we need to improve in those areas to be successful in this competition,” Hughton concluded.
Captain of the side, Andrew Ayew, spoke about being with the team and the desire to give 100% in the competition as it gets underway for them tomorrow.
“It is a very difficult tournament and we have very good teams who qualified. It is all about physical fitness and a strong spirit. I am happy to be here and you know Abidjan is a second home to me and I am happy to be here.
“I think the performance in the World Cup was pretty not bad. We defeated a strong Korean team, we were close to doing something vs Portugal and we were unlucky against Uruguay, so we gave our best. No promises but we are working very hard and we will take it game by game. On Sunday, we will give 100% and make sure to get off to a good start,” the former Premier Star concluded.
Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan is the venue of tomorrow’s game between Ghana and Cape Verde and kick-off has been scheduled for 8pm local time.
