Marcel Desailly sets last four 2015 AFCON target for Ghana's Black Stars

Ex-France captain and Ghana-born defender Marcel Desailly has set a last four finish for the Black Stars ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), in Equatorial Guinea next year.

He told GNA Sports that “We have a lot of hope they will do well. Our group is tough but we have a lot of hope that they will excel.

“The group is not easy bearing in mind South Africa performed well in the qualifying stages but I believe if we start very well with confidence from the beginning, they will proceed to the second round and from there, anything can happen.

“There are lots of francophone teams in this AFCON and hope that Ghana as an Anglophone will try and fit into the last four or last two.”

On the new coach, Avram Grant he said that “He can boost the players' confidence. The players has to listen to his message and work hard and get more committed to the collective goal of the team and country without thinking of anything else.

“If you are a player, you just have to perform and If a player does not feel well about a position taken, he can discuss it with the coach but if the decision has being made, then you have to give out your best.”

He added that, ''The coach has to do well, otherwise we sack him just like any other coach. We want to enjoy because football is big in the country and it brings a lot of happiness when the Black Stars participate in a competition and wins.”

The Black Stars are in Group C with Senegal, South Africa and Algeria for the competition, which spans January 17 to February 8.