England’s hopes of securing early momentum in their World Cup campaign hit a major snag last night as the Three Lions were held to a 0-0 draw by a resilient Ghana side coached by former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz. The goalless encounter was far from entertaining, and it has inevitably sparked widespread criticism from both fans and pundits.

Thomas Tuchel’s men have come under scrutiny for their inability to unlock Ghana’s compact defensive setup, while Queiroz’s approach has been branded as overly cautious and dull by some observers. However, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has stepped in to defend his former coach’s tactical discipline.

Queiroz, who served two spells as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Old Trafford, first joined Manchester United in 2002 before leaving a year later to take charge of Real Madrid. After his stint in Spain ended, he returned to United in June 2004, remaining until July 2008. During this period, the club captured two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League, marking one of the most successful eras in its history.

Nevertheless, his time in Manchester was not without controversy. Queiroz reportedly clashed with then-captain Roy Keane, with the Irish midfielder later revealing in his autobiography that a heated exchange over loyalty was among the reasons for his departure from the club.

Back in 2018, Keane admitted during an ITV appearance that “one of my big regrets is that I probably should have ripped his head off.” His criticism resurfaced during ITV’s World Cup broadcast, where he described Queiroz as having “the personality of a dead fish when I worked with him.”

In contrast, Ferdinand offered a more generous assessment of Queiroz’s managerial qualities. Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former defender noted that both he and ex-teammate Darren Fletcher were unsurprised by Ghana’s organised showing.

“Darren Fletcher was messaging us in the WhatsApp group with United [players] and he said exactly what I was thinking. This is typical Carlos Queiroz: set them up hard to play against, hard to beat, well drilled, tactically very good,” Ferdinand shared.

He further defended Ghana’s pragmatic performance, adding: “And they’re maybe ‘boring’ for some to watch, but I think if you think, from a coach’s perspective, he’s got out of his team what he set out to get. So, you have to respect that.”

Regardless of differing opinions, the draw against England puts Ghana on the brink of qualification for the knockout stages — a significant achievement for Queiroz and a proud moment for the West African nation.

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