{"id":252139,"date":"2024-11-18T15:06:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/18\/afcon-qualifiers-tougher-than-main-tournament-prince-tagoe-on-black-stars-struggles\/"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:06:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:06:55","slug":"afcon-qualifiers-tougher-than-main-tournament-prince-tagoe-on-black-stars-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/18\/afcon-qualifiers-tougher-than-main-tournament-prince-tagoe-on-black-stars-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"AFCON qualifiers tougher than main tournament \u2013 Prince Tagoe on Black Stars&#8217; struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanaweb.com\/imagelib\/pics\/232\/23235938.295.jpg\" alt=\"Prince Tagoe, ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Stars striker\" title=\"Prince Tagoe, ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Stars striker\" width=\"295\" height=\"151\" \/> <span class=\"image_caption\"><span>Prince Tagoe, ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Stars striker<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-user-select: none; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -moz-user-select: none; -ms-user-select: none; user-select: none;\">\n<p id=\"article-123\">The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are known for their intensity, but few may realise just how challenging they truly are. <\/p>\n<p>Former Black Stars striker Prince Tagoe has highlighted how these matches test players even more than the tournament itself.<\/p>\n<p>Ghana, a four-time AFCON champion and regular participant, is set to miss the tournament for the first time in 20 years, leaving fans and analysts searching for answers.<\/p>\n<p>According to Tagoe, the style of football played across the African terrain makes the qualifiers particularly demanding. He believes Black Stars players need to be well-oriented about the African game, as it differs significantly from their experiences in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAFCON is just like playing a local league because the tournament is in Africa. The mentality, aggressiveness, and approach to every game differ from playing outside,\u201d Tagoe said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, if you don\u2019t have that fighting attitude during the qualification stage, there is no way you can qualify because, in Africa, every team plays tough,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like Europe, where you\u2019d have the time to play. In Africa, it\u2019s not like that. Coaches must ensure that new players joining the team understand that the qualification stage is even more difficult than the tournament itself,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Tagoe also urged players to give their best when representing the Black Stars, suggesting that a stronger commitment could help the team overcome its current struggles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they are ready to give at least 85% of what they give when playing in Europe to the national team, we wouldn\u2019t be struggling in our group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Black Stars currently sit fourth in Group F, having accumulated just two points with one game remaining. <\/p>\n<p>They will face Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium later today, 18 November 2024, at 4:00 PM local time.<\/p>\n<p>FKA\/OGB<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prince Tagoe, ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Stars striker The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are known for their intensity, but few may realise just how challenging they truly are. Former Black Stars striker Prince Tagoe has highlighted how these matches test players even more than the tournament itself. Ghana, a four-time AFCON champion and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":251266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AFCON qualifiers tougher than main tournament \u2013 Prince Tagoe on Black Stars&#039; struggles - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/18\/afcon-qualifiers-tougher-than-main-tournament-prince-tagoe-on-black-stars-struggles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AFCON qualifiers tougher than main tournament \u2013 Prince Tagoe on Black Stars&#039; struggles - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prince Tagoe, ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Stars striker The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are known for their intensity, but few may realise just how challenging they truly are. 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