The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday. We'll spend the week getting you caught up on all of the teams before the tournament starts.
Zambia aren't one of the traditional powers of African football, but if recent competitions are any indication, they're a side on the rise. They won their group and pushed Nigeria to penalties in the quarterfinals of the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, topped Togo in the first stage of 2010 qualification, and won their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification group.
Head coach Herve Renard left the team after the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, but returned to the team in 2011 and guided them to qualification for this tournament. Some of the pieces have changed, but this is, for the most part, the same team that drew Tunisia, defeated Gabon, drew Nigeria and lost to Gabon by just one goal in the last competition.
In the places where they will make changes, they have improved. 20-year-old midfielder Chisamba Lungu looks set to take over the defensive midfield role, and he should be an upgrade over their defensive midfielder in 2010, Thomas Nyrienda. Emmanuel Mayuka, who has had some great seasons for BSC Young Boys and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, will lead the line.
Mayuka is the only player on this team starring for a European team that is contending for continental places on a regular basis, but the players on their team playing in the South African Premier League and for DR-Congo's African club power TP Mazembe are of a higher quality than the average player in this tournament.
Senegal is the strongest side in their group, Group A, and they are unlikely to take points from that match. Libya, a side they proved themselves superior to in qualification, is also in this group. Second place in Group A will likely come down to the final match day, when Zambia takes on co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.
GK Kennedy Mweene, LB Nyambe Mulenga, CB Stophira Sunzu, CB Hihani Himoonde, RB Joseph Musonda, DM Chisamba Lungu, LCM Felix Katongo, CM Rainford Kalaba, RCM Isaac Chansa, ST Emmanuel Mayuka, ST Christopher Katongo
Emmanuel Mayuka: A regular goal-scorer in the Israeli Premier League, the Swiss Super League and the UEFA Europa League, Mayuka is perhaps the best player in this tournament that the average football fan hasn't heard of.
Knocked out in quarterfinals: If Zambia finish runners-up in Group A, they will likely meet Cote D'Ivoire in the quarterfinals. They're a good side, but they're not overcoming the tournament favorites.
Spearhead of the ''Arab Spring'' on the political/sociological scene, The Eagles of Carthage are back to the Africa Cup of Nations after failing to make it pass the group stage in the 2010 edition. Not a stellar African power since winning the ACN in 2004, Tunisia qualified to the competition by finishing 2nd in its group behind Botswana, against whom they lost twice. It's not a strong foundation to build on to conquer a difficult tournament like the ACN. The good news is that, since 1994, Tunisia has always been present in thee Africa Cup of Nations.
A Rich Local Football
Taking over the reigns of the team after a bad start in the qualifiers, Sami Trabelsi took the local route to build half of the team. Eleven of the twenty three players come from the local championship, local players that won the 2011 CHAN (African Nations Championship), an African competition in which nations are represented by players who play in their respective local divisions. Sami Trabelsi is going for the best players for the group, for his philosophy, not necessarily the ''star players'' that play in Europe.
A Defensive Culture
Not finding really known for playing an all offensive attacking style, Tunisia has always relied on its defence at club and national team level , a pride for the nation. Like a chess game, Tunisia will play a very tactical and strategic game mixed with a physical roughness not to be underestimated, usually only needing one goal to shut it down. The Haggui-Abdennour duo has been the axe of steel on which the Eagles of Carthage have relied on. From their last four friendlies, Tunisia has only conceded two goals.
GK Aymen Mathlouthi, LB Ammar Jemmal, CB Karim Hagui, CB Aymen Abdennour, RB Bilel Ifa, DM Adel Chedli CM Mejdi Traoui CM Yassine Chikhaoui, LF Sami Allagui, RF Oussama Darragi, CF Issam Jemaa
Oussama Darragi: The key player in Tunisia's conquest of the 2011 CHAN, the 24 year-old is won the 2011 Best African player among players playing on the continent. A classical number 10, he has a technical elegance to a point that he is compared to an artist. A tall midfielder with scoring ability (10 goals in the Tunisian league), all offensive hopes will be put on him with the inconsistency of the team in the offensive sector.
Quarterfinal loss to Ghana: In Group C, in which a derby against Morocco awaits them, followed by an unknown Niger team and finishing with co-host Gabon, Tunisia is not favorite to come out 1st in the group but experience and cohesion in the group will get them past the group stage. Predicting a 2nd place finish in Group C, Tunisia should meet African giant Ghana and I do not see them upsetting the Black Stars.
Under charismatic coach/manager Eric Gerets, the Lions of the Atlas have found the chemistry and the glue to create a strong squad at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. The 2012 edition of the Moroccan national team is giving hope to a nation that has not seen a continental title since 1976.
The Belgian architect, Gerets, has travelled all of Europe to build this team since taking over in 2010. Scouring for eligible Moroccan players has been a success with the likes of Youssef Al Arabi (Al Hilal) and Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers) that have brought added value and depth to a very talented team. Gerets was also able to bring unity in a team known for clans within the group, unfortunately not something new in African teams. Bringing back a sense of professionalism was the clinching factor to give Gerets credibility towards the players and the Federation.
In Group C, Morocco will play co-hosts Gabon, newcomer Niger and North African rivals Tunisia. The battle for first place in the group should be between Morocco and Tunisia and both teams play each other in their first game. The result of that game could probably decide who will finish top of the group unless that a tie game make things more complicated having to play co-host Gabon.
What better way to start off the Africa Cup of Nations with a tense and difficult game against Tunisia, The Eagles of Carthage. But no fear for Morocco as they will come in the tournament with an offensive armada with the likes of Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal) and Youssouf Hadji (Stade Rennais), who will be helped by offensive midfielders Younes Belhanda (Montpellier) and Mbark Boussoufa (Anzhi Makhachkala).
With a squad filled with youth and experience, Morocco presents a balanced team that loves to go forward and have control of the ball, a distinct mark of Gerets. A mobile but physical central defence has the option of playing Mehdi Benatia (Udinese), El Kaoutari (Montpellier) and El Kaddouri (Celtic Glascow) in the center of defense. The midfield will be soldiered by Houcine Kharja (Fiorentina) who is an important piece of the puzzle as the first defender and with his ability for excellent passing and ball distribution. At his side, Belhanda and Boussoufa will be responsible of the creative department and both can help Kharja to bolster the middle of the pitch and enhacing the ball distribution.
Passing and speed are key factors for Gerets who will rely on speedy, technical wingers like Taarabt and Oussama Assaidi (Heerenveen) that will fight for a starting spot as one winger spot is already held by Youssouf Hadji. The tip of the attack will have Chamakh taking on the goal scoring responsibility. With little playing time at Arsenal, Chamakh will be looking to gain some confidence with more playing time with the national team. His physical and athletic abilities will be important in a rugged, physical tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations.
GK Nadir Lamyaghri , LB Badr El Kaddouri, CB Mehdi Benatia, CB Abdelhamid El Kaoutari, RBMichael Basser, CM Houcine Kharja CM Younes Belhanda CM Mbark Boussoufa, LF Youssouf Hadji, RF Oussama Assaidi or Adel Taarabt, CF Marouane Chamakh
Younes Belhanda: This team is deep in midfield and in attack with experience, talent and youth. This combination is perfectly represented by the Montpellier midfielder, Younes Belhanda. The official playmaker at his club and for the national team, he possesses technical finesse, pinpoint passing and remarkable vision. Able to score goals, he is an unselfish player who is also an excellent passer, feeding his team-mates with surgical precision. Not a dazzling dribbler, his play-making abilities help him control the tempo of the game for Morocco, touching the ball a lot, giving it back as much with little ball loss. A box to box midfielder, he is able to defend correctly to help out the defensive sector of the team making him a complete midfielder and the centre piece of his team, at only 21 year-old.
Dark horse for the title: I will go on a limb and predict that Morocco will become African champions after a 36-year drought. It may be a cliché, but if all the key players play to their expected potential, the Atlas Lions have nothing to fear from the Ivory Coast and Ghana. This does not make Morocco invincible, but my quiet favourite in this tournament.
Ghana will enter the Africa Cup of Nations as either co-favorites or second favorites to Cote D'Ivoire, depending on who you ask. The core of a team that finished runners-up at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and quarterfinalists at the 2010 World Cup is completely intact. Goalkeeper Richard Kingson is gone, along with midfielder Stephen Appiah. Michael Essien could return to the team in the future, but he wasn't fit enough for selection this time around.
The good news is that those positions have heirs. As far as athletic defensive and two-way midfielders go, Ghana has more quality players than they can fit on their team. 24-year-old Adam Larsen Kwarasey has taken over the starting goalkeeper position, and he's off to a great start in his young career. The Black Stars have youth and experience all over the pitch and their roster has no glaring holes.
Options are plentiful everywhere for Goran Stevanovic, which makes Ghana a bit of a hard team to preview. It's unlikely that they'll stick with the same starting XI throughout the tournament; expect changes based on form and opposition. Players like Jordan Ayew, Prince Tagoe, Kwadwo Asamoah, Samuel Inkoom and Daniel Opare who can fill multiple roles allow Stevanovic to shift his lineup to do whatever he wants. The Ivory Coast has better top-end talent, but even they don't have this luxury quite to the extent that Ghana does.
Isaac Vorsah will be suspended for the first two games, meaning that Jonathan Mensah and John Mensah are the likely central defense pairing. If you haven't watched Ghana, don't worry. The former one wears "Jonathan" on his shirt to avoid confusion. Opare and John Pantsil are the likely starting fullbacks, but it wouldn't be shocking to see some of Lee Addy, or Inkoom at fullback when the Black Stars are in all-out attack mode.
The midfield could very well be a revolving door. One of Anthony Annan or Derek Boateng should play every game, with the latter having the upper hand. Kwadwo Asamoah and Sulley Muntari are likely the other two starters in the center, though Badu could make an appearance, and Stevanovic is not opposed to playing both of Annan and Boateng if he needs to kill off a game.
Up top, there are plenty of questions. If Ghana's matches over the last two years are any indication, there will be some rotation. Inkoom is a natural fullback, but has been very effective in his starts in an advanced right wing spot and could play that position to start the tournament. This could mean starts for Jordan Ayew and Andre Ayew in the other two forward positions, which would mean Prince Tagoe and Asamoah Gyan see the bench. Stevanovic will have a hard time benching a healthy Gyan, however, which means that everyone else's place would come under threat. There will likely be a five-man rotation up top, and it wouldn't be shocking to see three different forward combinations during the tournament.
GK Adam Larsen Kwarasey, LB Daniel Opare, CB Jonathan, CB John Mensah, RB John Pantsil, DM Derek Boateng CM Sulley Muntari CM Kwadwo Asamoah, LF Andre Ayew, RF Samuel Inkoom, CF Jordan Ayew
John Mensah: With Isaac Vorsah suspended for the first two games, Ghana captain John Mensah will have to be a rock in the center of defense. He's likely to be paired with Jonathan Mensah (unrelated), who is hardly a slouch, but he doesn't have the same level of experience or pure athleticism as Vorsah. Behind them is a talented, but young keeper in Adam Larsen Kwarasey, while another youngster will play left back in Daniel Opare. Ghana have more talent than anyone in the tournament save for Cote D'Ivoire, but they will need John Mensah to lead them.
Runners-Up: Ghana should not be upset on the road to the final. They're simply too talented to even be taken to extra time against any of the teams that are going to be put in front of them, if they play to the best of their abilities. The top talent of the Ivory Coast will be too much, however, as Didier Drogba and the Toure brothers finally lead their team to glory in a fantastic final.
To those who do not follow African football on a regular basis, the players who are not in the Mali side for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations will be more notable than the players who are in the side. Frederic Kanoute, Momo Sissoko and Mahamadou Diarra -- three of the best players to ever come out of the country -- have either retired or have been dropped. Seydou Keita has arguably always been the most important player of all, but this is now his team. There is no debate.
Mali will almost certainly not win a very difficult Group D. They will be favorites to progress, but it would be nothing short of shocking if they were able to accumulate more points than Ghana, who are either the favorites or second favorites to win the tournament depending on who you ask. The other teams in Group D are surprising Botswana, who did brilliantly in qualifying despite a lack of big names, and Guinea, who have a number of players with extensive European experience.
Information on the team isn't exactly abundant, but their best player is a well-known quantity, as is their manager. Alain Giresse was an extremely successful player and turned Gabon into a respectable side that was competitive with the rest of Africa during his four-year tenure as the manager of that side.
Sissoko and Diarra are gone, but the country is loaded with similar players. There are no shortage of quality defensive or box-to-box midfielders with fantastic athleticism in this team. Between the age of Diarra and the form of Sissoko, they will lose very little. Keita is still an excellent player and will be one of the most accomplished players at this tournament. The biggest question stems from whether their group of forwards can replace what Kanoute did.
Mohamed Kalilou Traore and Modibo Maiga will likely start on the wings and will be strong points of the team, but center forward is a bit of a question mark. Cheick Diabate has finally started seeing regular playing time for Bordeaux and has a good record of six goals in 13 appearances for Mali. His scoring record, regular play for Bordeaux and fantastic size indicate that he has the tools for success, but he's not a regular scorer in Ligue 1 and has yet to prove he can be one at this level.
GK Oumar Sissoko, LB Cedric Kante, CB Adama Tamoura, CB Mohamed Fofana, RB Drissa Diakite, CM Samba Sow CM Seydou Keita CM Mahamane Traore, LF Modibo Maiga, RF Mohamed Kalilou Traore, CF Cheick Diabate
Seydou Keita: This team is deep in midfield and respectable in attack, but the FC Barcelona man is the captain and the key to the side. Even though he's played as a defensive-minded player for most of his club career, he's played in a more attacking role for his country, something that's become relatively common with talented African two-way midfield players. Mahamane Traore and Bakaye Traore are decent attacking players as well, so he might be playing a little deeper than he has in the past, but he'll get forward if the game requires it.
Eliminated in Quarterfinals by Group C winner: Mali is a solid side, but they aren't better than Ghana and they're probably not better than whoever gets through Group C. Tunisia and Morocco aren't obviously superior to Mali, but if one of those teams is able to do enough against the other and hosts Gabon to finish top of their group, they'll probably be favorites to defeat Mali.
In an odd tournament where most of Africa's biggest sides struggled to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, Cote D'Ivoire were an exception. They breezed through qualifying with a perfect record of six wins from six matches and a goal differential of +15, conceding four times and scoring 19 goals. While their qualifying group was not the toughest in the tournament, there were other strong sides that struggled against worse. They look like a well-oiled machine, and they enter the tournament as favorites.
Time is running out on the career of Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast captain and the best player that the nation has ever produced. He's scored 51 goals for his country and appeared in both the knockout stages of this competition and the World Cup on two occasions, but has never won a major trophy with his country.
Drogba is the oldest member of this team, but he is not the only player who is nearing the end of their chances to taste success on the international level. The Toure brothers are both in their late 20s, as is Abdul Kader Keita and most of the defense. The Africa Cup of Nations is changing to odd years, so they will get another crack at glory in 2013 if they fail this time around, but time is running out on the core of this squad.
Francois Zahoui has transitioned between two and three striker formations in friendlies and qualifying, but appears set to play with Drogba as a central striker, flanked by two wide forwards for this competition. If Zahoui made the decision to switch to two forwards, Drogba would likely be partnered by Seydou Doumbia, but the CSKA man will be out of the starting XI in the team's current projected setup.
In two warm-up friendlies, the Elephans have used two different kinds of systems with three in the midfield. Expect to see Kader Keita play in front of a double pivot of Cheick Tiote and Yaya Toure against weaker sides, while Toure will play ahead of Tiote and defensive midfielder Jean-Jacques Gosso or Didier Zokora when they are playing strong opposition or trying to kill off the game.
On the wings, there appear to be three players fighting for two spots that are not yet decided, and could rotate within the tournament. Solomon Kalou, Didier Ya Konan and Gervinho are battling out for the places on either side of Didier Drogba, with the two Premier League stars appearing to have the upper hand.
The defense is strong, but there is one player who sticks out like a sore thumb. Sol Bamba, who plays for English League Championship side Leicester City, appears to be the starter in the center of defense. Considering the quality of team that most of the squad plays for, this is a bit conspicuous to say the least. However, Zahoui has experimented with playing both Didier Zokora and Yaya Toure as central defenders in a pinch, and it wouldn't be terribly shocking to see this happen again.
GK Boubacar Barry, LB Siaka Tiene, CB Sol Bamba, CB Kolo Toure, RB Igor Lolo, CM Cheick Tiote, CM Yaya Toure, LW Salomon Kalou, CAM Abdul Kader Keita, RW Gervinho, ST Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba: He's the captain and all-time leading goal-scorer. Even when Kader Keita is in the game, Drogba is the man not only most responsible for scoring goals, but the man most responsible for facilitating the attack and bringing his teammates into the game. Even at 33-years-old, he is still the focal point of the team.
Champions: This is the best squad in Africa with the best qualifying record coming into the tournament. Ghana can absolutely give them a run for their money and the neutrals can only hope that the two sides get a chance to play during this tournament, but Cote D'Ivoire gets the edge for their perfect qualifying record and the club form of their players.
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is a bit less sexy than previous editions. The defending champions, Egypt, are in the middle of a generational transition with their players and failed to qualify. Also failing to qualify were fellow African giants Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria and South Africa. Those five teams are without question five of the 16 strongest in Africa, and the tournament is probably less intriguing to the casual fan in their absence.
This gives us an opportunity to watch teams we haven't seen in an environment this competitive before, along with an opportunity to do a lot of research to learn and write about the teams that casual fans haven't seen before. The stars of Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana will be familiar, but Tunisia and Burkina Faso might not be. And then there are the real minnows, one of which seems to crash the party in every edition of the tournament.
Here's when you can anticipate seeing all of our team previews, right here in this StoryStream.
Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Morocco, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea/Gabon, Senegal, the rest of the field
Africa Cup Of Nations 2012 Team Previews: Equatorial Guinea And Gabon
In every edition of the Africa Cup of Nations since 1994, the host or co-hosts of the tournament have advanced to the knockout stages of the competition. The last time a host was unable to advance past the first round was in 1994, when the hosts Tunisia lost to Mali and drew Zaire as they failed to make the quarterfinals. The hosts in 2010, Angola, were perhaps the weakest hosts of the tournament since then and were able to make the quarterfinals.
This year is a bit of a different story. Though Gabon are no joke, they are in a group with Tunisia and Morocco, two much more talented sides. Equatorial Guinea are almost certainly the weakest team to host the tournament in over 30 years, but have the luxury of playing in a group that is not terribly difficult. Both teams will have a good chance to make the quarterfinals, but neither side is favored to do so.
Gabon head coach Gernot Rohr will depend on his four players who play regular first team football in Ligue 1. Strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eric Mouloungui, along with defenders Bruno Ecuele Manga and Moïse Brou are good enough to get into most of the teams in this competition. The same goes for goalkeeper Didier Ovono, who plays for Le Mans in Ligue 2. The midfield is much more thin and will be led by Dinamo Minsk star Bruno Mbanangoye Zita.
Equatorial Guinea do not have quite the same pedigree, with many of their players playing in the third and fourth divisions of Spanish football. Their captain, Bodipo, is a striker with La Liga experience who currently plays for Segunda side Deportivo La Coruña. Another one of their strikers, Balboa, plays for Beira-Mar in the Portuguese Liga. That about does it for high-level experience in their side. The second best team in Group A, Zambia, is not as strong as either Morocco or Tunisia, but they are certainly more talented than Equatorial Guinea.
The co-hosts appear to be in serious trouble, but it's always tough to count out home sides.
Predictions: Both teams eliminated in the group stage, finishing third in their respective groups.
Jan 20 12:03p by Kevin McCauley - 0 comments