John Paintsil believes the the prospect of Ghana winning a fifth Nations Cup title remains on the cards when the Black Stars get their campaign going at the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

For the Ghana and Fulham fullback, achieving that dream requires a united front from all players, staff and the supporters.

"Every team goes into every competition with the idea to win. That is what we [Ghana] also seek to do.

"We have lots of confidence that we can do well in Angola. The is confidence in the team is good and we can achieve something great. But we have to remain focused on the Nations Cup.

"It's a very difficult competition where the best in Africa gather and compete," Paintsil said in a radio interview.

But in seeking for a united front, Paintsil has called on the critics to lay off certain members of the Black Stars in the wake of Ghana's preparations for the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

The trio of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan have come in for criticism following their failure to join colleagues for an international friendly against Angola last month.

Rather than calling for the trio to be excluded, the defender says Ghana's plans should be distracted by whatever actions would be taken against his colleagues after investigations are completed.

"We need every player to make the team great. Every player is important to the team. We are like a family.

"The fans will need to drop this issue and rally behind the team. It's a time to focus.

"Of course, there is an issue which needs to be looked at but the overall goal of the team is most important. There are lots of things in football that the fan might not understand.

"We need to focus on the Nations Cup," the defender said.

Ghana has been drawn against Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo in Group B for the African Nations Cup.

The Black Stars will open their CAN campaign against the Togolese in Cabinda, a day after the opening day match of the three-week tournament on January 11.