We play as guests of Central African Republic West Ham United on Wednesday in our penultimate game in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and Otto Addo has been speaking to the press ahead of the contest at Stade D’Honneur de Meknes, in Meknes, Morocco.
Otto has been speaking about team news, absence of Inaki Williams, pressure and much more.
Read our full transcript below:
On Team news:
Nothing much. I think we had two, two and a half good sessions. Boys looked sharp. Looking forward to tomorrow.
On return of Alidu Seidu and Fatwu Issahaku
I'm very happy. I'm very happy for them. First of all, it's not, you can't take it for granted to come back as strong as they are coming back here in their games. And I'm really, really happy for them. They really deserve to be back. Yeah, we've been observing them. We've been in talks throughout with them and they're progressing on their fitness level. I mean, they're doing well in their league. So, I'm very, very happy for them to be back.
On Message to the players
Yeah, I just hope that we learn out of the experience in Chad, and we have to take it serious to the last minute. We have to fight defensively, especially to the last minute. Surely, I know we have our offensive strength and we will create chances and we have to score. And I'm pretty much sure we will score, but it's very, very important that everybody's on their toes to the last minute. And like I said, we took a lot of learnings from Chad and I have a very, very good feeling that we can go to zero in this game and we'll be able to score one or two goals.
On inclusions and what it means to team
In general, I think we have like, let's say 30, 35 players who are like in the inner circle and, yeah, it's always, we're always watching them, we're always observing them. Sometimes injury also comes along, like Tariq who got injured and sometimes others perform. And then at the end, I have to decide, I have to decide what to call. But, I'm pretty, pretty sure that they will fulfil our expectations.
On possibility of becoming the first Ghanaian coach to qualify for second World Cup
Yeah, actually, you know, I don't live too much in the past. We have to think about tomorrow, we have to win this game and then we'll see. In a normal scenario, we still need to win the second game as well, or play a draw as well. So, we have to take it game by game, don't think too far. Surely, I'm not thinking too much about myself, it's about the team and we want to win this game tomorrow and then we'll see.
On Mathematics and situation in our group
I mean, we are in a comfortable position that we can look on ourselves and we want to win this game. And I think if we win this game, we have a high probability to qualify for the World Cup. But this is just the first step and maybe we have to do a second one. But we're looking at this game and we want to win this game and whatever happens, we can't control, we can't have an influence. We can just concentrate on what we can influence and this is the game tomorrow.
On playing Central African Republic on a neutral ground and its effect
We had matches where we played on a neutral ground, where we didn't perform as well. And we had games where we played an away match in a full stadium and we performed and we won like the Mali match, for example. So, it's difficult to say if it's an advantage or not. I'm happy that we are playing on a natural ground. I'm happy that we don't play in the afternoon. It's more going late in the evening. So, it's good. This is truly an advantage for us. It's easier for our players to adapt. It was a short preparation now but the players look sharp. Like I said, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and we have to win.
On pressure going into the game
I think the so-called pressure that we have right now is normal. Especially when we are first now and just two matches to go. We are very, very close. We just want to fulfil our expectations. I think the players are experienced enough. Surely, we also have some young players but we also have some experienced players who will guide the young players. I'm just hoping that we can have an early goal and it will make things easier.
On influence of experienced players like Jordan, Thomas, Zigi, Kudus, Salisu and Djiku
I think in general; consistency is the key for success. If you make too many changes, it's also difficult for the players to connect. We are just trying our best but at the same time, surely, I have to reward somebody who wasn't at the World Cup and is doing well. I have to reward this and give them also a chance. At the moment, we have a good mixture of players from the previous World Cup with this experience. Also, new, young, inexperienced but hungry players who can also play their part in qualifying for the World Cup.
On injury forcing Inkai Williams to pull out
It's always a loss if we have to replace players but to be honest, in a lucky situation, we have a lot of good players. There are others also who could have been brought, but Brandon was accessible. He plays in Europe. There are even other players playing further away and other players in Europe also who are performing. It's also not easy for me to make this decision but Brandon had really, really good weeks. The last weeks were very, very good. He had a lot of assists, a lot of goals, and he played well so he deserves to be here as well. I'm really, really sorry for Iñaki and I hope that he gets well soon.
Also, we have long-term injuries with Mumin, with Ernest Nuamah. I'm just praying for them to get back and surely it will make my work difficult to decide who comes to the squad or not but this is what we want. We want the best possible squad. The current situation is pushing each player.
This is what we want. Like I said, we are in a situation where we can replace an experienced top player like Iñaki with also a good player, very, very in form like Brendan Thomas.
On players translating club form to the national team
I think this is a little bit of a misconception. Surely, I think it's good that they come with a positive vibe. They're in form, they're scoring goals, playing well at their clubs. But the most important thing is we just had two and a half days of training so that they can connect so that all of us go in the right direction, that they are able to connect with each other but also fulfil the game plan. I think if we do it well, then we have a high chance. At the end, football is a team sport.
This is why maybe players or a team who hasn't got these excellent players can also be dangerous. We have to be very, very sharp. We have to be on time in each and every action because they're proven also, I remember the game plan was also very close. So, we know what to expect. We know their strength and we have to be on our toes to win this match.
On Central African Republic looking quite new compared to the side we faced in 2024
In situations like this, when the team they presented in the previous game is quite different from what they are likely to present tomorrow, how do you adjust? How do you go into such matches? We try to prepare them as best as possible. We know what kind of system they could play. They have a new coach as well. We show them the clips, the videos. We talk about it. We do the video talks. This is all we can do and then we train. And show them on the pitch the weakness we figured out from our opponents. But also, their strength. It's very, very crucial that the players not only are aware of it but they adapt also to what we expect and to eliminate their stress.
On Kudus form at Tottenham
Surely, if somebody scores, I'm happy for everybody who scores. But he did well. He created a lot of chances for Tottenham. He had some assists as well.
On message to Ghanaian fans ahead of tomorrow
Once again, I want to thank the Ghanaian people for their strong support. I hope we will give them something back tomorrow.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS