Ghana head coach, Chris Hughton is unfazed by Inaki Williams’ lack of goals for the national team since pledging allegiance to the Black Stars last year.
The Athletic Bilbao forward made an appearance for Spain in a friendly match against Bosnia Herzegovina back in 2016 but opted to switch to Ghana before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Williams earned his first Black Stars cap in a 1-0 friendly win over Nicaragua last September and went on to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where the West African giants failed to progress to the Round of 16 after finishing third in Group H.
Williams has made seven appearances for Ghana but is yet to break his international duck and Hughton asserts the 28-year-old offers much more on the pitch than just goalscoring.
“It’s very much part and parcel of the game. What we know in Inaki is that he is a very good player, playing in a good team in a good League,” Hughton said ahead of Ghana’s return fixture against Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
“I think with somebody like Inaki it’s not all about goals. He plays consistently for his team. But I think it’s his contribution in the game; he is a player that makes a lot of runs. He stretches the play a bit and sometimes it benefits other players.
“So I think as regards his goal scoring with us and the Black Stars, it will come but sometimes it doesn’t come as quick as what you want. What is more important for us is his contribution in the game and for the team that is the most important thing.”
Ghana needed a last-minute effort from Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo to defeat the Angolans 1-0 in what was otherwise an uninspiring performance from the West African giants in the reverse fixture.
They would need another victory in Luanda on Monday to keep their qualification hopes in check and Hughton stated his players are fully aware of what is expected of them.
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“Absolutely, the players are focused. They know what the game means, they know it’s away from home and a big crowd they are expecting there,” Hughton continued.
“But this is part of International football and everybody wants to play at the best level. So the players know the task in hand. We know the type of opposition to play if we want to get the results. But we have to play well to enable us to get that.
“So everybody knows that you can never predict how the game will go because there can be so many twist and turns. We just have to work as hard as we can to make sure the game goes in our favour.”
The Ghana Football Association have announced that Nicolas Opoku has been brought into the squad to provide defensive cover after centre-backs Mohammed Salisu and Alexander Djiku withdrew from the squad due to injury.
Ghana top Group E of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with seven points, three ahead of Angola and the Central African Republic, and six ahead of bottom-placed Madagascar.
