Andre Ayew remains important to the team – Chris Hughton

Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton has defended his decision to drop the skipper of the team Andre Ayew to the bench in the game against Angola. The Nottingham Forest forward watched proceedings from the bench as Antoine Semenyo struck late to win the game for Ghana.

And Chris Hughton has now explained his decision while stating that Andre Ayew remains crucial to the team.

Speaking after the game, the former Republic of Ireland international said he needed to make the best decision for the team. And that was exactly what he did and there is no reason to doubt the importance of Andre to the team even in his absence.

“As a head coach, you have to make difficult decisions. You know the quality that Andre possesses, but you also know the quality of the rest of the squad,” he said.

“Ultimately, it was my choice not to play him, but that doesn’t reflect on his abilities as a player. He remains a valuable member of the team,” Chris Hughton explained.

Andre Ayew was a notable exclusion from the starting XI in Chrish Hughton’s first match leading the team out. In his absence, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Teye Partey took over team leadership. Ghana struggle to break the composed Angolans in the game but still edged out a win.

Antoine Semenyo came off from the bench and struck the late winner deep into injury time as Ghana claimed the solitary goal win over Angola. The win moved Ghana to seven points as they remain leaders of the group ahead of the second leg in Angola on Monday.

Chris Hughton’s next task is to get his men fired up again for the second leg and with Angola showing they can withstand the pressure of the Black Stars, it could be a very stern test.