Black Star’s manager, Otto Addo, has the backing of former Black Stars coach Chris Hughton, who has called the 2018 Kirin Cup the ideal chance to gauge the team’s preparedness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Black Stars face Japan on Friday and South Korea on Tuesday; both Asian teams are a challenge.
As he previously managed Ghana in this tournament, Hughton knows how to manage player rotation while fostering team chemistry. He believes the Kirin Cup will help Otto Addo refine his team, providing crucial playing time to key and backup players while the team prepares for World Cup qualifiers.
Hughton said Otto Addo must strike a balance between consistency and experimentation.
“These two games (South Korea and Japan), I’m quite sure that Otto will use this to try to get that right balance. Come the World Cup, you want the players that have played to have played as many games as possible together, but also its [the Kirin Cup] an opportunity to have a look at some of the players that have not played so much.”
He also pointed out that the Kirin Cup matches are significant, and both teams would want to play against a strong Ghanaian team.
“These are high-profile games. I would imagine that both of these countries [Korea and Japan] will want to play against Black Stars teams that have the best players in them. So it is really about getting that balance. I’m quite sure that there’ll be strong teams. You want to go into the next games having a good run.”
Hughton lauded Otto Addo for the team’s convincing performance, encouraging him to improve further.
“Otto, at this moment, has got a good run of not losing games. That is the type of momentum you want to keep going. You could field the strongest team in these two games and still not win. You could mix up the team, put some young players in, and win the game. These are all questions in hindsight. I’m sure he [Otto Addo] will get the right balance.”
For Hughton, the Kirin Cup is crucial for Ghana to refine its tactics, foster unity, and gain confidence ahead of the 2026 World Cup.