Black Maidens head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa says Ghana have travelled to the WAFU Zone B U17 Girls’ Cup with one objective in mind: winning. Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Burkina Faso, the coach was unambiguous about the mission, even as the tournament doubles as preparation for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
We are here to compete for the WAFU, and we are grateful to be here because we are preparing the team for the World Cup,” Adarkwa said. “We are going to use this tournament to assess our players, to prepare them, and to go in and get good results at the World Cup. We are happy to be part of this wonderful tournament.”
The coach, making his second visit to Yamoussoukro with the team, was quick to draw a line between sightseeing and the job at hand. “We are not here to watch Yamoussoukro. We are here to compete, and to compete with the best teams, Nigeria and all the other sides here. We are here for business,” he said.
You cannot say your attacking is the best. What about your defenders? Every department of this team has been strengthened.” Joe Nana Adarkwa · Head Coach, Black Maidens
Adarkwa was pointed on squad balance, insisting that no single unit carries the team. “Every department of my team has a strength, because if you want to compete with the best, you have to strengthen your team, so that wherever you go, you can play your best game,” he explained. “You cannot say your attacking is the best, what about your defenders? All the development areas are already in place with this squad.”
On the tension between developing young talent and demanding results, the coach was candid about the balancing act facing a national youth side.
We all know that with the U17s, you have to develop the players. But we are going to the World Cup, so it’s up and down you cannot say you are developing players but cannot compete. We are doing both, but we are here to compete with the best, including here,” he said.
Motivation, Adarkwa added, will not be in short supply. As the reigning champions, he believes the squad arrived in high spirits before a ball was even kicked.
In terms of spirit, I am going to psych the players so that it comes into the game. But once we came from Ghana, our spirits were already high everything is high, because we are the defending champions,” he said. “The last time we played in Ghana, we won it. So the spirit is already there. We are here to defend it.”