TEAM ANALYSIS
Overview
The African Cup of Nations begins on January 20, 2008 in various stadiums in Ghana, and it is sure to bring the continent to a standstill for three weeks. The tournament kicks off with the first match between host country Ghana and Guinea at the Accra Stadium. Ghana is looking to win the African Cup of Nations for the 5th time after their last win in Libya in 1982 defeating the hosts on penalty kicks. Since then, many star players and teams have failed to live up to the glory days of Abedi Pele, CK Gyamfi, Ibrahim Sunday and others who made Ghana a powerhouse team back in the 60’s and 70’s.
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GROUP A – GHANA, GUINEA, MOROCCO, NAMIBIA
GHANA
The Black Stars led by team captain Stephen Appiah who plays club football with Fernabache in Turkey will be looking to repeat the spectacular form displayed in the 2006 World Cup second round performance in Germany, before they lost to Brazil. The core of the team from the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany is still intact with players like Michael Essien (Chelsea) and Sulley Muntari (Portsmouth) are the cornerstones of the team and will be looked upon to lead Ghana all the way to the final. The new head coach Claude Leroy, is no stranger to the African game. His vast experience with different countries in Africa will be a valuable asset to Ghana. Claude Leroy was Cameroon’s coach in the African Cup of Nations in Morocco 1988 when they defeated Nigeria by a penalty kick in the final. He also coached Senegal in the African Cup of Nations in Algeria 1990 and guided them to the semifinals before losing to the host country Algeria who were the eventual winners of the tournament. He went back again to coach Cameroon and took them to France 1998 but didn’t make it to the second round. He also coached DR Congo at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt last year and his pedigree and experience will be something the whole country will be looking for when the tournament starts next month.
GUINEA
They will be making their 9th appearance in the African Cup of Nations after two consecutive quarterfinals positions in Tunis’04 and Egypt’06. The Syli Nationale as their fans fondly call them will be looking for something better this time when they open the tournament with host country Ghana at the Accra stadium. Key players like team captain Pascal Feindouno (Saint Etienne in France), Fode Mansare and Ismael Bangoura will be looking to improve from their previous performances. Guinea plays a good brand of football with their quick movement on the ball, intricate passing, and their ability to attack teams on the counter and will surely give teams problems in their group.
MOROCCO
Morocco qualified for this nations cup after winning their qualifying matches with ease. The expectation is that they will come back home with the trophy they last won in 1976. They were also runners up in the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia 2004 where they narrowly lost to host country Tunisia in the final. They have the talent and players to take them far in the tourney. It will all depend on how they approach the tournament when they lineup in the opening match against Namibia. The return of veteran coach and former French national team coach Henri Michel will add a lot of weight and bite to their preparations when the tournament begins.
The Atlas Lions will be looking to the likes of Maroune Chamakh of Bordeaux to lead them with his goal scoring exploits. They will turn to him and Mbark Boussoufa to lead their attack. Do the Atlas Lions have what it takes to win again?
NAMIBIA
Makes their second appearance in the African Cup of Nations having played in Burkina Faso in 1998. They were knocked out of the group stages. They topped their group to qualify for Ghana 2008 that included DR Congo, Libya and Ethiopia. The Brave Warriors will be looking to use this tournament as a learning experience and will be one of the weakest teams in this tourney.
The Brave Warriors qualified on the last day by getting a crucial and decisive win against Ethiopia in Addis-Ababa. They are one of the dark horses in the group and will definitely want to give a good account of themselves when they open up with their first match against Morocco in Accra. The star player to look for is Colin Benjamin (Hamburg). He is currently out with an injury and didn’t feature in the qualifiers but he is expected back before the tournament.
GROUP B - NIGERIA, COTE D’IVOIRE, MALI, BENIN
NIGERIA
Since their last nations cup win in 1994 in Tunisia, Nigeria has not been able to reproduce the form that made them a powerhouse in African football in the mid 90’s. When players like J.J. Okocha, George Finidi, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amunike took the Super Eagles to great heights and led to their impressive showing in the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. The Eagles led by Nwankwo Kanu and star players like Obafemi Martins (Newcastle), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Joseph Yobo (Everton) will be expected to win the cup. They begin the tournament against a strong Ivorian team in a match that is expected to produce a lot of fireworks.
COTE D’IVOIRE
The Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire will be looking to reproduce their form of 2006 when they qualified for the world cup finals in Germany. They won with the title in 1992 in Dakar when they defeated Ghana on PK’s. Drawn in the “group of death”, they open the tournament with powerhouse Nigeria. Their form over the course of the year has been impressive. Star players to look for include Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Kolo Toure (Arsenal), Solomon Kalou (Chelsea), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), and Aruna Dindane (Lens).
MALI
Mali will be looking to reproduce their form when they made it to the semifinals in 2002, which they hosted. They have an impressive record in the African Cup of Nations, as they’ve made it to the semifinals in each nations cup they have appeared in. Star players to look for included Mamadou Diarra (Real Madrid), Mohammed Sisokko (Liverpool), Freddy Kanoute (Sevilla), and Seydou Keita.
BENIN
Benin will be making their second appearance in the nations cup after qualifying for the first time in 2004 in Tunisia. Their star player Alain Gaspoz (FC Scion, Switzerland) will use his experience to provide the leadership and quality needed; at the age of 37 he will be one of the oldest players in tournament.
GROUP C - EGYPT, CAMEROON, SUDAN ZAMBIA
EGYPT
Defending champions the Pharaohs of the Nile will be going to Ghana to defend the trophy they won on home soil in 2006. The five-time African champions will be looking to add to the number of times they have won this trophy and will also be one of the favourites to win it again. No country has been able to defend trophy back to back since Ghana last did it some 42 years ago. Egypt will be looking to erase that record and win it back to back again. Star players to look for include Mohammed Barakat, Ahmed Hassan, Al Hadari, Wael Goma and Mohammed Aboutrika.
CAMEROON
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are four-time African champions. Their last win in Mali 2002, expectations are high for them to win the cup in Ghana. Star players include Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona), Jean Makoun (Lille), and Achille Webo (Osasuna). They are considered one of the favorites to win the group that consists of defending champions Egypt, Zambia and a Sudanese team that has been making waves in African football.
SUDAN
Sudan makes a return back to the cup of nations after a 31-year absence. They were winners in 1970 when they hosted the tournament. Key players to look for include Rtshard Justin Lado (Al Hilal, Sudan).
ZAMBIA
Zambia makes another return back to the nations cup after a disappointing tournament in Egypt. They have a new coach James Phiri who took over from the legendary Kalusha Bwalya and he is expected to continue to develop Zambia football. Not much is expected from them in a tough group but will be expected to give a good account of themselves when the tournament starts. Their star player James Katongo is expected to lead the charge for them.
GROUP D - SENEGAL, ANGOLA, TUNISIA, SOUTH AFRICA
SENEGAL
The Lions of Teranga will be looking to use this nations cup as a way to make amends for their failure to qualify for the world cup finals in Germany 2006. They have not been able to reproduce the form that made them a powerhouse team in 2002 when they qualified for the World Cup finals. Star players like Mamadou Niang (Olympic Marseille), El Hadj Diouf (Bolton) and Henri Camara (West Ham) along with Pape Bouba Diop (Portsmouth) will lead the charge for Senegal. Expectations are high from a very demanding Senegalese public.
ANGOLA
Angola’s football fortunes changed dramatically when they qualified for the World Cup finals in Germany 2006. They have not looked back since then and are expected to provide good resistance to the other three countries in their group. Key players like Flavio Da Silva (Ahly, Egypt). They will be a force to be reckoned with and whoever takes them lightly does so at their own peril.
TUNISIA
Tunisia is back for their 8th consecutive nations cup after winning it on home soil in 2004. Star players like Santos, Karim Hagui, and Mehdi Nafti will lead the charge once the tournament begins. Tunisia coached by former French coach Roger Lemerre will be looking to go beyond the quarterfinal stages when they were eliminated by Nigeria on penalty shootout in Egypt.
SOUTH AFRICA
The Bafana Bafana are back again and will be looking to perform better after playing so poorly in the last three editions of the African Cup of Nations. As host country of 2010 World Cup, they will need to give a good impression of themselves and play much better unlike their woeful display in the last nations cup in Egypt where they lost all three matches and failed to score a single goal. New coach Carlos Parreira, Brazil’s world cup winning coach in 1994, has brought in more stability and balance to a team that was faltering. With the exclusion of star player Benni McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers) the question is, where will the goals come from. The 23 man squad consists of a whole new generation of players embarking on a new challenge to make up for performances of the past. The team will look to Sibusiso Zuma (Armina Bielefeld, Germany) to lead them in Ghana.
