Ghana will face off Nigeria in Abuja in the final lap of qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. A goalless first leg in Kumasi means the Black Stars will kick-off with a slight advantage but it will not be as straight forward for the Stars.

While Nigeria head coach Augustine Eguaoven, has more than ruled out duo Innocent Bonke and Samuel Chukwueze, his Ghanaian counterpart Otto Addo, has a full squad to select from with the return of Felix Afena-Gyan and Daniel Kofi-Kyereh.

The St. Pauli midfielder was limited to just about 10 minutes in the first leg of the tie, but might be in the run to start in Abuja. His availability will stack up more cards for Addo, who in the first leg showcased appreciable levels of tactical creativity.

Black Stars lineup with Kyereh

The Black Stars in Kumasi, put up the popular 4-2-3-1. Thomas Partey and Baba Iddrisu formed the pivot while Mohammed Kudus played in the hole behind Afena-Gyan. On the flanks were Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Issahaku.

It was reported a night before the game that Kyereh was due to miss with an injury and so this was possibly the 'best' 11 to start the game. However Kyereh's return means Addo and his technical team might not stick with same.

Despite dominating in Kumasi, the Black Stars lacked creativity and a cutting edge, keys Kyereh could provide and together with Kudus, the Black Stars could cause mayhem in midfield.

What could Addo do differently as a starting 11 versus Nigeria in the second leg?

Issahaku put up a fighting performance in Kumasi, but his inexperience was telling with his decision-making in certain moments. Plus it is safe to say the magnitude of the crowd at Baba Yara, got to the winger as it took him quite a while to grow into the game.

Games in one-off situations like these are decided by the littlest of details, so having two inexperienced attackers in Afena-Gyan and Issahaku, despite their quality, could be telling. It is for that reason, Kyereh could replace the entertaining winger in the lineup.

Besides, having Kudus, Partey and Kyereh all in midfield in such a game could provide the Black Stars with more control and an extra dosage of creativity.

Kudus on the flanks does not necessarily mean the midfielder will play as a winger, as Fatawu Issahaku, who in the first leg was a winger on paper, did not play as one in-game.

Approach Play

In Kumasi, it seemed Issahaku had instructions to stick close to Afena-Gyan as the teenager served as a second striker in the Black Stars 3-1-4-2.

In this role, Issahaku was tasked to play on the shoulder of Balogun, running channels and feeding off through-balls, as well as long balls to help Ghana progress. This is a role which will serve Jordan Ayew well, who is an accomplished ball progressor.

Meanwhile, Jordan played as one of two 'number 8s' in Kumasi when the Black Stars had possession.

It was the responsibility of these two 'number 8s' to receive passes in half-spaces and start attacks of their own. Kyereh and Kudus can perform this role as they are two of Ghana's most creative players.

Kyereh has nine assists in 24 league games for St. Pauli and has created seven big chances and boasts of 1.5 key passes played per game. He also has 10 goals to his name.

Kudus has played only nine games this season due to injury, and has just one goal. But last season, he had three assists in 17 games and averaged 0.6 key passes per game. He also contributed four goals to Ajax but note that the he played only 47 minutes per game in eight starts.

Besides the offensive boost, Kyereh can offer more to the Black Stars defensively. In Ghana's final game at AFCON 2021, the midfielder run the midfield after the Black Stars were reduced to 10 men. He displayed his ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder and it can serve Ghana once again.

In all of his 24 league games, the attacking midfielder has 0.7 tackles, 0.3 interceptions and won possession 0.5 times per game. At the AFCON, he made 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles and won back possession 1.0 times per game for the Stars. He also made 0.3 clearances per game - impressive numbers for an attacking midfielder.

Besides this defensive contribution, he can provide the team with different options in midfield, dropping slightly to offer support to Partey during build-up. Meaning the Black Stars could get more assurance and mitigate the risk of counterattacks after losing the ball in midfield, as seen in the first leg.

• World Cup qualifiers: Ghana 0 – 0 Nigeria, tactical review

Besides the build-up support, he can act as a third-man runner making late runs into Nigeria's 18-yard box to get on the end of crosses and cut-backs.

Conclusion

Despite the encouraging performance from the first leg, there was much left to be desired from the Black Stars especially in front of goal as the team lacked innovation.

From only 10 touches on the ball, Kyereh played one key pass, the same as Iheanacho. Note that he came on in the 82nd minute while Iheanacho played 90 minutes.

Kyereh's return will definitely come as a big boost to Addo, who will face stiffer competition in Abuja but the St. Pauli midfielder could be a big key to Ghana unlocking a fourth World Cup appearance.