Mohammed Kudus must channel new fury ahead of West Ham United return
Mohammed Kudus has suffered fresh heartbreak with Ghana but must now channel it in the right way when he returns from his suspension for West Ham United.
Kudus – who is currently serving a five-match ban for violent conduct against Tottenham – featured for the Black Stars as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying group stage.
The draw continued a run of five without a win which has denied Ghana qualification for AFCON for the first time in 10 tournaments.
Kudus was captain during the October international break and used his frustration at the results and negative national press as a reason behind his explosion at Spurs during an FA hearing.
When he returns to the field for Julen Lopetegui’s side on 3 December against Leicester City, he has to use that heartache as a positive energy for his club.
Mohammed Kudus enduring despair for West Ham and Ghana
At a glance, it just appears that Kudus is suffering a double-whammy with misfortune for both his club and national team.
The reality is the two are intrinsically linked. Better results while he was skippering Ghana last month would likely have seen the incident at Spurs not happen.
The eventual 4-1 loss was a game that started brightly as Kudus opened the scoring before a second-half Hammers capitulation, an occurrence all too regular since Lopetegui’s arrival.
Hammers fans are pleading Kudus comes back stronger, and the extension to the usual three-match ban is probably more sensible in the long run so that he does not return in a fragile headspace.
With a revitalised Kudus comes a much better West Ham. Those are also linked in the same way – the same argument can be made for the likes of Lucas Paqueta, who has been heavily criticised for his below-par performances this season.
It’s a day to forget in the eyes of millions of Ghanaian football fans; for Kudus, who will still be hurting for months to come, the task is clear to embark on a huge step forward in emotional maturity on the pitch.
In other West Ham news, Michail Antonio’s absence for Jamaica against the USA has been explained.
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