African Cup Of Nations 
/ Jonathan Wilson / 12 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
This is probably Didier Drogba's last chance to win a major international tournament
"This generation of Ivorian footballers has seemed marked out for greatness for an awfully long time. There has been a lot of talk of last-chance saloons, but for Didier Drogba in particular time is running out."
The Ivory Coast's approach to this tournament has been pragmatic, to say the least. And so far it's worked. But one thing is for sure: if Francois Zahoui's approach doesn't result in victory, there will be no hiding place for him or his team of stars.
For Ivory Coast, this is the moment of truth. In Francois Zahoui's conservatism, there has been a risk and that is that is if the Elephants don't finally win their second Cup of Nations - 20 years after their first - there will be no consolation. Pragmatic, safety-first football is legitimised only by victory.
This generation of Ivorian footballers has seemed marked out for greatness for an awfully long time. There has been a lot of talk of last-chance saloons, but for Didier Drogba in particular time is running out. He is 33, and although he probably will make the squad for South Africa next year, he is clearly past his peak. In terms of goals, this is already his joint best Cup of Nations, but he has also shown his abilities as a leader, both of the line and his team.
On song, there is still surely nobody in the world game who so combines physical and technical prowess. He holds the ball up superbly, lays it off intelligently, and has the speed of foot and of thought to beat an opponent. His cross for Salomon Kalou's headed
winner in the 1-0 win over Sudan with which Ivory Coast began the competition was simple yet brilliant, a moment of almost casual skill that created the opening against a stubborn opponent.
That he has managed not to become too frustrated with Gervinho - somehow both the instigator and the destroyer of so many Ivorian attacks - speaks volumes for his patience. His, and Ivory Coast's, reward for that calm was Gervinho's superb winner against Mali in the semi-final, when he turned sharply on halfway, dinked the ball through Ousmane Berthe's legs, ran on into the box and - for once - slotted the ball into the bottom corner. After a tournament of shanks and ballooned shots, of duffed crosses and runs down blind alleys, his first moment of decisiveness was worth waiting for.
Although Ivory Coast have lacked creativity at times in the past (and still probably do against truly disciplined opponents, for all Gervinho's unpredictability) the real issue is the defence, which has crumpled at crucial moments in each of the last two tournaments.
"Happily our defence has been very mature and solid since the beginning of the competition," Zahoui said. "After our past failures we knew that as long as we don't concede any goals we can make the difference up front. Our ambitions remain in place."
His aim since the semi-final win - another bluntly unambiguous 1-0 success - has clearly been to keep expectations down, to make sure nobody starts to believe the tournament is won before it actually is. "They are a young, very buoyant side who play good football," he said of Zambia. "They attack and cause problems for any team they come across."
And Zambia have emotion on their side. On Friday they went to the beach that was the last patch of land the Zambia team of 1993 flew over before their fatal plane crash. At first, amid the litter and other debris the whole spectacle seemed awkward, but as the players laid flowers in the water and sang together, forming a huddle as the sea lapped around their ankles, it's hard to imagine anybody didn't feel a lump rising in their throats.
Zambia will not give up the cheap goals others have against Ivory Coast, but the question is how far that emotion can carry them.
RECOMMENDED BET: Ivory Coast have scored nine goals in five games so far without conceding; if you discount the 2-2 draw against Libya in farcically wet conditions, Zambia have scored seven and conceded one in four games. This isn't going to be a goalfest. Ivory Coast, you feel must be too strong, so I'd suggest taking your pick of 1-0 [6.2], 2-0 [6.6] and 2-1 [10], or perhaps splitting the stake between all three.
James Eastham says there will be no upset in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Libreville on Sunday....
James Eastham says Ghana are overrated for the third game running as they prepare for Saturday's third-place play-off showdown....
Zambia are through to the final of the African Cup Of Nations for the first time in 20 years after a heroic win over Ghana. But the fact the final will be played in Libreville has huge significance for the...
No comments:
Post a Comment