Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has criticised the Black Stars’ approach at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, calling for a return to possession-based and attacking football.
Lamptey, who closely followed Ghana’s campaign, said he was unimpressed with the team’s performances and believes the current squad lacks the quality and ball-retention ability displayed by previous generations of the Black Stars.
“I watched all the matches and me personally, I’m not impressed,” Lamptey said in an exclusive interview with 3Sports.
“If I look at the team that went to the World Cup, the first World Cup in South Africa, you can’t compare this team to them. And then 2014. And then our last World Cup, 2022. Even that one that we did not do well, I think that team is far, far better than this.”
‘We couldn’t hold the ball’
According to the former midfielder, one of Ghana’s major shortcomings was the inability to maintain possession and control matches through the midfield.
“You should have a team that can be able to hold ball. And this is what we couldn’t do. And it was haunting us,” he said.
Lamptey compared the current team with the Black Stars squad that featured at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, highlighting the technical quality of the midfielders in that generation.
“All the teams that I mentioned, the Ghana team in 2010, we could hold football. Look at our midfielders. We had ball jugglers and all that. This team, no. And this is haunting us,” he added.
Lamptey questions defensive tactics
Lamptey was particularly critical of Ghana’s defensive approach against England, arguing that a team cannot rely solely on defending for an entire match.
“A proper way to defend is to attack. If you attack, if you defend a million times, they beat you. There’s no way a team can defend throughout 90 minutes,” he said.
His comments have added to the growing debate over the tactical identity of the Black Stars following their World Cup campaign.
Queiroz handed new mandate
Lamptey’s criticism comes as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed the return of Carlos Queiroz as head coach of the Black Stars.
Queiroz, who was in charge of Ghana at the 2026 World Cup, has been handed a new mandate beginning with the upcoming international window.
The Portuguese coach’s return is expected to reignite discussions about the style of football Ghana should adopt as the team prepares for its next phase.
GFA President Kurt Okraku, however, has defended Queiroz’s approach, arguing that Ghana’s long-standing pursuit of a particular playing style has not translated into major success.
“In 47 years, style has not taken us anywhere. We haven’t won the AFCON. If the same coach [Queiroz] is working under different circumstances [in comparison to the World Cup] maybe the style will change,” Okraku said.
Okraku also argued that Queiroz had limited time to assemble and prepare the squad for the World Cup.
He suggested that the Black Stars could adopt a different approach if the coach is given adequate time to prepare the team ahead of future competitions.
