Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has described the Black Stars’ upcoming FIFA World Cup clash against England as the “easiest type of game” to prepare for, insisting that players require no extra motivation when facing one of football’s traditional powerhouses.
The Black Stars will take on the Three Lions in Boston on Tuesday, with a place in the knockout stages potentially at stake.
Ghana opened their Group L campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama and could secure qualification to the last 32 with another positive result.
Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated encounter, Queiroz said matches against elite nations naturally bring out the best in players.
“This is the easiest type of match, because when you’re about to play against England, France or Germany, you don’t need to say anything to the players. They’re fully motivated,” the Portuguese tactician said.
“Everybody is fully switched on and everybody wants to perform well. What we have to do in this type of game is to try and moderate the enthusiasm, but mainly we need to work together. Whatever happens, we need to stick together and fight together over 90 full minutes.”
The 73-year-old is appearing at his fifth FIFA World Cup and his first with Ghana after being appointed in April.
Queiroz previously guided Iran at three consecutive World Cups and was in charge when England defeated the Asian nation 6-2 in the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
However, the experienced coach dismissed suggestions that the previous result would have any bearing on Tuesday’s showdown.
“In football, four years is like a century, so I don’t even remember where that was,” he said.
“I was not defeated. In football, we never lose. We win or we learn. We learned a couple of lessons that day.”
Queiroz also downplayed the significance of England’s impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening fixture, stressing that past performances and reputations do not decide matches.
“The reputations and prestige of results in the past are significant when they are written in the press, but they cannot win games. Memories don’t win games, so tomorrow will be another story,” he added.
In one of the most memorable moments of his press conference, Queiroz drew inspiration from Ghana’s population as he rallied his team ahead of the contest.
“We know they have the three lions on their shirt, but we come from Ghana and have 33 million lions to fight for this game.”
Ghana are expected to receive a major boost with the return of midfielder Thomas Partey, who missed the victory over Panama after being denied entry into Canada due to visa issues.
Meanwhile, a late decision will be made on goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who was forced off through injury during the opening match.
With confidence high after a winning start, the Black Stars will hope to upset one of the tournament favourites and move a step closer to a place in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2010.Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has described the Black Stars’ upcoming FIFA World Cup clash against England as the “easiest type of game” to prepare for, insisting that players require no extra motivation when facing one of football’s traditional powerhouses.
The Black Stars will take on the Three Lions in Boston on Tuesday, with a place in the knockout stages potentially at stake.
Ghana opened their Group L campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama and could secure qualification to the last 32 with another positive result.
Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated encounter, Queiroz said matches against elite nations naturally bring out the best in players.
“This is the easiest type of match, because when you’re about to play against England, France or Germany, you don’t need to say anything to the players. They’re fully motivated,” the Portuguese tactician said.
“Everybody is fully switched on and everybody wants to perform well. What we have to do in this type of game is to try and moderate the enthusiasm, but mainly we need to work together. Whatever happens, we need to stick together and fight together over 90 full minutes.”
The 73-year-old is appearing at his fifth FIFA World Cup and his first with Ghana after being appointed in April.
Queiroz previously guided Iran at three consecutive World Cups and was in charge when England defeated the Asian nation 6-2 in the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
However, the experienced coach dismissed suggestions that the previous result would have any bearing on Tuesday’s showdown.
“In football, four years is like a century, so I don’t even remember where that was,” he said.
“I was not defeated. In football, we never lose. We win or we learn. We learned a couple of lessons that day.”
Queiroz also downplayed the significance of England’s impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening fixture, stressing that past performances and reputations do not decide matches.
“The reputations and prestige of results in the past are significant when they are written in the press, but they cannot win games. Memories don’t win games, so tomorrow will be another story,” he added.
In one of the most memorable moments of his press conference, Queiroz drew inspiration from Ghana’s population as he rallied his team ahead of the contest.
“We know they have the three lions on their shirt, but we come from Ghana and have 33 million lions to fight for this game.”
Ghana are expected to receive a major boost with the return of midfielder Thomas Partey, who missed the victory over Panama after being denied entry into Canada due to visa issues.
Meanwhile, a late decision will be made on goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who was forced off through injury during the opening match.
With confidence high after a winning start, the Black Stars will hope to upset one of the tournament favourites and move a step closer to a place in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2010.