72-year-old Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz was announced by the Ghana Football Association in early April 2026 as the man tasked with leading the Black Stars at the World Cup this summer.
The ex-Manchester United assistant manager arrives in Ghana with a plethora of experience, having served as manager of Real Madrid at one point and creating history with Iran at several World Cups. In his first press conference, Queiroz called himself a “winning coach” and said he demands that his players “fight for the ball”. This article looks at his system, how he implements it, and which Black Stars players – regular or fringe – could be key to it.
Queiroz has a reputation in Asia as an ‘ultra-defensive manager’ because his teams tend to set up defensively against strong opposition. They make sure to secure the defence with solid numbers before building any attack, reducing the risk of being caught out in transition while looking to play the transition game themselves at the other end with long and direct passing. Fullbacks and the defensive midfielder rarely venture forward, and one of the central midfielders plays a more supporting role in attack, leaving the team short of bodies in attack at times, especially against stronger opposition.
However, Queiroz is more of a pragmatic manager than an ultra-defensive coach looking to shut up shop just for the sake of it. His teams rarely adopt a low block, preferring to sit the defensive line slightly higher up the field in a mid-block to allow the forwards and midfielders to press aggressively or “fight for the ball”. This press is almost constant when the opposition has the ball in the first phase and in midfield, but his teams switch to a zonal defending system where they prioritise defending spaces over individuals in their final third. This requires structural discipline that he seems able to instil successfully and makes them generally harder to break down but can lead to individuals from the opposition entering the box unmarked like Jude Bellingham did for his goal against Iran at the 2022 World Cup.
Queiroz plays a flexible 433 shape with two central midfielders and a holding midfielder. The goalkeeper is not required to build up play from the back and is instructed to go long instead. The fullbacks rarely push up and are primarily tasked with holding the line and defending the flanks. The defensive midfielder also does more work off the ball than on it and is responsible for breaking up play in midfield. The right-sided central midfielder shuttles between boxes to aid both offensively and defensively, while the left-sided central midfielder drifts high and wide into the left half-space to serve as an auxiliary winger. The right winger does not hold width and is made to drift centrally into the right half-space instead. The left forward moves into the box to play as an additional striker, occasionally alternating positions with the primary centre forward.
In defence, the defensive midfielder is asked to drop into the defensive line to play between the centre-backs as the central centre-back, creating a back 5. The right winger also drops into the midfield line with the left winger, creating a 4 in midfield and leaving the centre forward up top as the lone striker in a 541.
If the left winger or left forward is a natural striker who has been chosen to start from the left flank because he has the necessary skillset, he stays up with the centre forward in the defensive shape, and only the right winger drops into midfield to create a 532.
In attack, the left forward drifts from the flank to partner the centre forward in the box, and the left-sided central midfielder also moves high and wide into the left half-space to create an asymmetrical 424 shape with the right winger in the other half-space.
On paper, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku’s technical quality and tendency to cut inside for a shot on goal make him a heavy favourite for the right wing spot, while the left forward role alternating with the centre forward seems tailor-made for Antoine Semenyo. Experienced forwards Inaki Williams and Jordan Ayew also look like good fits for the mobile centre forward role and could start up top or on the left. With Mohammed Kudus a heavy doubt for the tournament and no apparent progress made regarding Noah Nartey’s eligibility for the Black Stars, the left-footed Augustine Boakye must absolutely be a candidate for the dynamic left-sided central midfield role following his excellent season in France.
Although Caleb Yirenkyi is often used as a right back for the Black Stars, he has shone as a central midfielder for his club side and would be a great candidate for the right-sided central midfield shuttler role. Yussif Saidu has been one of the more consistent performers for a struggling Real Zaragoza side, and his combination of stature, no-nonsense tackling, and passing range might see him earn a call-up as a tactical fit for the defensive midfielder role. Nashville SC centre-back Maxwell Woledzi has been one of the best defenders in the MLS over the last year, and with starting centre-back Mohammed Salisu out injured, the time may be right for Woledzi to claim that spot next to Djiku in Queiroz’s backline. In goal, Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro was ranked as the 4th best young goalkeeper in the world by the CIES Football Observatory and with Ghana’s number 1 spot still up for grabs, securing his eligibility before the tournament could be a major coup for the Black Stars.
Whichever team he selects and whatever the praises or criticisms may be from his fans and detractors alike, one thing is for certain: Carlos Queiroz's teams “fight for the ball”. And with Ghanaians tired of being let down for a decade by a lack of effort, Queiroz might just be the one to give the Black Stars the effervescence and zeal necessary to make the nation proud this summer and ‘bring back the love’.
No comments:
Post a Comment