Christian
Atsu's match-winning performance for Ghana over Guinea in their African
Nations Cup quarter-final on Sunday will likely only add fuel to the
fire for his detractors.
The
speedy winger was superb as he bagged a brace, including a contender
for goal of the tournament, to show just how devastating a player he can
be.
But
it has also left commentators wondering why he is only producing this
type of performance now after a lacklustre last 12 months for club and
country.
Like
the Black Stars, the diminutive forward has got better as the Nations
Cup rolls on, but must now keep performing at this high level or face
the same accusations again that he can only turn it on in patches and
for the rest provides mediocrity.
It
is what separates the good players from the greats, the ability to
perform at your best every week. Atsu is on loan at English Premiership
Everton from tabletopping Chelsea this season, but has made just four
appearances for the Merseyside club.
He did have an injury that stunted his progress, but has also sat out games after failing to impress.
Everton
coach Roberto Martinez has been watching him closely at the Nations Cup
finals though and is starting to see the player he knows Atsu can be,
suggesting that when he returns from Equatorial Guinea he will have a
much bigger role to play for the club in the second half of the season.
“It
has always been the plan that Christian Atsu will be an important
player for us in the second-half of the season and so it was great to
see him doing so well,” Martinez told reporters.
“He is a player who will come back strong and ready to have a big role.”
Atsu
was named man of the match in the 2-1 win over South Africa in Ghana's
final Group C game, but failed to pick up the award in the semifinals.
He
has emerged as a key weapon in the armoury of Coach Avram Grant as the
Black Stars seek a first continental title since 1982. The 23-year-old
Atuso was born in the Ghanaian coastal town of Ada Foah and was signed
to the Feyenoord youth academy just outside Accra.
He moved to FC Porto in 2009, before making his senior debut in 2011.
After
two years in Portugal, which included a loan spell with Rio Ave, Atsu
enormous promise was spotted by Chelsea and he arrived in 2013, spending
the next season on loan at Vitesse in Holland, before being sent to
Everton in the 2014/15 campaign to further his football education.
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