Ghana will miss this year's Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco - the first time the West Africans will be absent from the tournament since 2004 - after [finishing bottom of Group F in a winless campaign.](/sport/football/articles/cwy410n3l6lo)
However, the Black Stars picked up nine points from their first four Group I outings in World Cup preliminaries, and Ayew remains optimistic that the team's transition period can bring "positive" results.
"There's pressure playing for Ghana," he said.
"We can't stop people from criticism - it's part of the game.
"When the results are not there, the manager and the players get the backlash."
With Ghana boasting Premier League stars such as Partey, Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo, Ayew insists the team must secure qualification for next year's World Cup finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"As professional players, \[we\] need to have the mentality and strength to stand up for the challenge," Ayew said.
"Hopefully, from these two games, we can show a good image of ourselves and turn things around."
Ghana host Chad on Friday (19:00 GMT) before an away game against Madagascar on Monday (19:00 GMT).