Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has called on his players to show courage and commitment as they prepare to take on England in an international friendly at St Mary’s Stadium on Monday evening.
Ghana face the European champions at 19:00 GMT, a match Björkegren described as a major challenge but also an opportunity for his side to measure their progress against world-class opposition.
Reflecting on England’s recent 3–0 win over China, the Swedish coach said his squad must avoid falling into the same trap as the Asians, who he felt played with too much caution.
“England played great, and at the same time I respect China,” he said. “We’re talking about a team ranked 16th in the world, and we are 67th, so I can’t blame them too much. But the way they approached the game, they made some mistakes. They were too afraid. And if you are afraid to play against England, then you’re going to be destroyed, exactly what happened.”
Björkegren insisted that Ghana must embrace the nerve cracker with greater belief.
“We need to attack the game differently. We believe in ourselves. We know we have strong players ready to tackle, to work hard, to fight for every duel. I hope we can stay in the game as long as possible. Our game plan is to win, whether that’s realistic or not, I don’t know, and honestly I don’t care.”
He also praised the squad’s unity and passion, noting that their collective effort will be essential.
“I like the fact that we work hard and dream big, and we do it together. You’re going to see a hard-working team. Whether that gives us a good result or not, we will see, but we’ll do everything we can,” he added. “If we are brave out there and give everything, everyone watching will see that we did something really good.”
By: Pascal Amoah
