Is Afriyie Acquah the new Essien?

Ebenezer Afriyie Acquah

Undoubtedly, Ebenezer Afriyie Acquah is one of the promising youngsters for the Black Stars' future. With humble beginnings from Glentoran Football Academy in Sunyani , Acquah is gradually becoming a mainstay at Parma FC after first being signed by German club TSG Hoffenheim in January 2013. Having been offered limited playing opportunity while in Germany, Acquah returned to Serie A on a season-long loan move from TSG Hoffenheim to Parma FC in the 2013/2014 season. The lack of playing opportunity in the Bundesliga could have affected his confidence but the loan move to Parma has turned his fortunes around.

Acquah –who is only 22– has credited his form at Parma last season to coach Roberto Donadoni . Acquah made a total of 27 appearances and scored one goal for the Gialloblu . His performances did not go unnoticed as he earned a place in the final Black Stars 23-man squad which traveled to Brazil in June. Parma has also rewarded his good work with another loan spell. And it is this continuity with Parma and coach Donadi that many Ghanaian football fans are hoping would help propel the youngster to the heights of Michael Essien—a player to whom comparisons have been drawn.

Acquah does not shy away from the Essien comparison as expressed here in an interview with Footy Ghana: “Essien has inspired me a lot. During his days at Chelsea, I used to watch him and pick a lot from his game. He is strong and does well even without the ball; he has enjoyed the game with a lot of success.”

But before the Michael Essien comparisons would become credible, Afriyie Acquah ought to continually develop his game. Judging by a scouting report by Bleacher Report in May 2014, the key areas of Acquah 's game which need improvement are: long range passing, defensive positional sense as well as tackling efficiency. On the positive side, Afriyie Acquah is blessed with athleticism, technical ability, strength and some degree of explosiveness which when improved could skyrocket his present market value of about 3 Million Euros.

A Bright Future
With World Cup experience and a beautiful bride by his side, this season could turn out to be Acquah 's season to remember. As the Black Stars begin their AFCON 2015 qualifiers next month, it would once again be an opportunity for youngsters like Afriyie Acquah to consolidate their positions in the Black Stars midfield.

In the absence of Michael Essien in the early 2010s, Anthony Annan provided solid cover in the defensive midfield for the Black Stars. However in recent times, as seen in Brazil 2014, many players have been played in the defensive midfield role with mixed results. In my opinion Rabiu Mohammed was decent but wasn't much of an offensive threat; meanwhile Mubarak Wakaso didn't do himself any favors when he was offered an opportunity in Brazil.In fact, in the match against Portugal, Wakaso's lack of tactical discipline was evident for all to see, when he chose to shoot on goal instead of passing to his captain who was calling for the ball in a better goal-scoring position.

Afriyie may have limited passing ability but his speed and nimbleness could serve him quite well should he be given a role in midfield for the Black Stars on a more consistent basis. At just 22 years, there is still more time and room for him to develop into a world class midfielder. It is my hope that, the Bison would mentor Afriyie Acquah in this development phase.