In the build-up to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, we'll be profiling some of the best-known players in the tournament, as well as some lesser-known players looking to guide their teams to upsets and become stars.
For the second straight season, Udinese is competing for a UEFA Champions League place despite not having very much money to spend. Their highest profile departure in 2011 was Alexis Sanchez, the Zebrette also lost Cristian Zapata. This required the members of the Udinese back line to step up their games, and Mehdi Benatia has done just that.
Benatia is a quintessential example of the Udinese transfer policy and how they've built a Champions League-quality squad on a small budget. He was purchased from Ligue 2 side Clermont, who he joined after coming up through the Marseille youth team, in 2009. He was loaned back to Clermont and spent another season in Ligue 2 before joining Udinese in Serie A.
After a solid first season with Udinese in 2010-11, Benatia is having the best season if his career at present and is one of the key contributors to Udinese's current third placed standing in Serie A. As the right central defender in Udinese's 3-5-1-1, he is responsible for keeping an eye on forwards and covering the right flank when Dusan Basta and/or Maurcio Isla gets caught too far up the pitch. His positioning and technical ability for a big defender are fantastic, and are just as key to his national team as his club team.
Morocco play a different formation than Udinese, though their style of football is relatively similar. Though he is a defender for both sides, the right central defender position in Udinese's three-man back line is much different than the right central defender position in Morocco's traditional back four. He will have more overall responsibility and less cover when it comes to accounting for opposing forwards, but will not have the same requirements when it comes to technical play and covering the flank.
Benatia and Morocco were very good in qualifying and most of this team has played together, so there is no reason to believe that he will have trouble adjusting to playing a different position with his national team. His defensive partner Badr El Kaddouri did not play particularly well during his time at Celtic in 2011, but has plenty of experience with Dynamo Kiev and the national team, and they make up one of the best central defense partnerships in Africa.
Morocco will be favorites to win their group, and if they do so, favorites to get to the semifinals where they would likely meet Cote D'Ivoire. The Lions of the Atlas are very strong in midfield and attack, so it's unlikely that there will be massive demands on Benatia until they hit that semifinal. Issam Jemaa of Tunisia could give him problems, but he could look dominant until he comes up against Didier Drogba.
Mehdi Benatia
National Team: Morocco
Club Team: Udinese (Italy)
Age: 24
Position: Defender
Djalma has struggled to find a regular first team place at Porto since making his move from Maritimo, where he was a star performer, but it appears that he's finally found a place under manager Vítor Pereira. Struggling without the departed Radamel Falcao, Pereira made a change to his team in November, moving Hulk inside from a right forward position. This has opened up an opportunity for Djalma, who is finally getting playing time for the Dragons.
His national side, Angola, have drawn a difficult group in the Africa Cup of Nations and will need spectacular performances from their forwards to progress, considering the lack of depth in the rest of their team and the quality of their opponents. Cote D'Ivoire are the obvious Group B favorites, but Angola will also struggle to get past Burkina Faso, who are very deep and talented throughout their roster.
Manager Lito Vidigal has used a number of different formations, while Djalma has played multiple roles for Angola, so it's tough to put him into a set position. He could play as a striker, a right forward, a right midfielder or a No. 10 depending on how the team sets up. Expect to see much less of -- if not none of -- Angola playing with three at the back than in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Djalma's most likely role is on the right side of a 4-4-2/4-2-2-2 formation. The team has too much talent up top and too little talent in the center of midfield to do anything but play two strikers, which might lead to Djalma having more defensive responsibility in this tournament than he does for Porto, but his main role will be to create chances for his teammates from the right wing. Flavio and Manucho are good finishers with very good scoring records. They just need players like Djalma and the likely left-wing starter Gilberto to get them the ball.
Djalma Campos
National Team: Angola
Club Team: FC Porto (Portugal)
Age: 24
Position: Winger
Strikers who have scored 102 goals since the summer of 2008 are a pretty good bet to be well-known around the world so what is Seydou Doumbia's excuse? Well he's scored his goals in Switzerland and Russia for one, in leagues that only locals and super soccer nerds watch. Two, he plays internationally for Cote D'Ivoire, who also have Didier Drogba so he's never gotten the attention as national team star.
So Doumbia isn't well-known, but that doesn't make him any less fantastic. A move from the J-League to Young Boys resulted in 57 goals in two seasons, good for the Swiss Super League lead in both years and Player of the Year honors in both years as well. It also netted him a move to CSKA Moscow, where he's spent the last year and a half years racking up 45 goals and picking up another Player of the Year award, this time in Russia.
Some might write off Doumbia's success to inferior competition, but this year's UEFA Champions League put any of those unfounded concerns aside. In five matches he scored five goals, including one against Inter Milan at the San Siro on the final match day to help earn CSKA a spot in the knockout stages.
For all of his success in Switzerland, Russia and Europe, Doumbia has not been able to translate his goal scoring form to international play. He's scored just once for Cote D'Ivoire in 14 appearances. Most of those appearances have come off the bench, including his only appearances at the World Cup last summer.
It is expected that Doumbia will be coming off the bench again at the Africa Cup of Nations. Cote D'Ivoire look set to go to a one striker formation with two wingers and Drogba isn't about to be unseated as the lone striker. That will put Doumbia back on the bench, relegated to super sub role unless manager unless Francois Zahoui decides to go with two strikers.
All Doumbia will be looking for is a chance though. He's proven it everywhere else and now is his chance to prove it with Cote D'Ivoire on Africa's biggest stage. The team has Drogba so Doumbia will be on the bench, but he's not a bad option off the bench. In fact, he'll be the best option off the bench in the whole tournament and by the time it is over a few more people who don't live in Switzerland and Russia might know who he is.
Seydou Doumbia
National Team: Cote D'Ivoire
Club Team: CSKA Moscow
Age: 24
Position: Striker
Many of Mali's big names have moved on. Some moved on by choice by retiring from international play and some were pushed out of the national team picture, but for whatever reason, Frederic Kanoute, Momo Sissoko and Mahamadou Diarra are all gone. That leaves Mali with just Seydou Keita, the unquestioned leader and star of the team as they head into the Africa Cup of Nations.
It is not as if Keita needed some departures to become a leader with Mali. With five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments under his belt and now three and a half years at Barcelona, Keita is as experienced as they come and would have been a leader for this Mali team regardless, but the absences do throw a little more pressure on him to perform at the top of his game.
Whereas Keita is asked to played a bit more defensive in the midfield for Barcelona, for Mali he is asked to get forward more often and be a true box-to-box midfielder. That makes him the key player for the entire team, tracking back to tackle, but also be the primary link from the midfield to their three-man frontline. This isn't new for Keita. He's been asked to be a complete midfielder for Mali for years now, but now he'll be doing so without as much help, especially up top.
Keita will be asked to do more for Mali and unfortunately, he'll be asked to do it without being completely match fit. Between La Liga's winter break and Barcelona's glut of midfielders, Keita played just once since December 15 before joining up with Mali. Camp with Mali should help get him as fit as possible, but nothing can get someone match fit quite like playing in actual matches.
Fit or not, Keita will be heavily leaned upon. Whether he can shoulder the load could be the determining factor in Mali's ability to advance from the group stage, which they should do, and maybe even get a win or two in the knockout stages. It may be unfair to ask so much of Keita, but the reality is that it is his team now. While the team does have other quality players, such as Mohamed Kalilou Traore and Modibo Maiga, as Keita goes, so will Mali.
Seydou Keita
National Team: Mali
Club Team: FC Barcelona
Age: 32
Position: Midfield
Serie A hasn't exactly been the favorite league of most people around the world lately. With the exception of the fascination with Jose Mourinho and his stop in Italy with Inter Milan, Serie A has been largely ignored by a big chunk of the football-watching public in favor of the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga. And if Serie A is relatively under the radar ,that leaves Udinese very much under the radar and their star midfielder, Kwadwo Asamoah, out of the minds of many, which is a damn shame because he's emerged as one of the better midfielders around.
Just because many around the world don't realize how good Asamoah is for Udinese doesn't mean that Ghanians don't realize his importance to the national team. He's a key cog in Ghana's midfield, teaming with Sulley Muntari and either Derek Boateng or Anthony Annan to handle the middle of the pitch without their front three having to worry too much about tracking back and of the three. Of the three in the midfield, Asamoah is tasked with being the primary creator and what a creator he is.
There aren't many players as adept in tight spaces as Asamoah. His ability to keep the ball close when dribbling and seemingly hit full speed on the turn are almost unmatched. His feints on the ball have become somewhat of his signature and they are deadly, creating just the amount of space he needs to get past a defender or open up the play with a pass. While capable of tackling, Asamoah has two midfield mates who can do the same. What he offers that no one else on his team does as well is create chances provide service to the front three. It's what makes him one of Ghana's stars and one of the top players in Africa.
With just one goal for Ghana and three for Udinese, it's unlikely that Asamoah will pop up on the score sheet, but that doesn't mean he won't be vital to the Ghana attack. Many of Ghana's forays forward will start with the ball at Asamoah's feet. Playing that role for a team expected to be in the final is nothing to sneeze at and he's more than capable of shining in that role, whether people know who he is or not.
Kwadwo Asamoah
National Team: Ghana
Club Team: Udinese
Age: 23
Position: Midfield
Emmanuel Mayuka isn't a star on the level of the biggest names playing for Ghana or Cote D'Ivoire, by any stretch of the imagination. He is, however, a player with a great goal-scoring record and arguably the most talented player on a team that is favored to qualify for the knockout stages. Mayuka is just 21-years-old and extremely versatile. He's playing at a high level, but out of the world spotlight.
These are the players who used to be the story of the Africa Cup of Nations. There are still some up-and-coming players who will make names for themselves in this year's tournament, but they are much more few and far between than they were just four years ago. Not just the stars, but the important role players on most of the big teams have already established themselves. Professional scouts in the big leagues were aware of them before the general public.
Mayuka is certainly one of those players, and with all due respect to Young Boys Bern and their fans, he's likely to move on to a bigger club soon if he plays well in this tournament and in the second half of the Swiss Super League season. He has an excellent scoring record of 33 goals in 85 league games between the Swiss Super League and Israeli Premier League, in his time with Young Boys and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. He's also scored regularly in the Europa League, and has proven adept at playing both as a forward and on the wing.
Based on who he replaced, it seems like Young Boys knows how to spot young strikers with lethal finishing ability who are flying under the radar of Europe's giants. Mayuka was brought in for $1.7 million to replace Seydou Doumbia, who has become one of the best strikers in the Russian Premier League with CSKA Moscow, as well as a regular for the Ivory Coast. While Mayuka isn't quite as lethal as Doumbia at this point in his career, he's probably still in the process of improving as a player. When Young Boys sells him, they'll make a healthy profit.
Mayuka scored three goals in qualifying and his team will need him to score a couple of times in the group stages if they want to advance. Zambia do not have anywhere near the firepower of Group A favorites Senegal, but will be expected to finish above Libya and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.
Emmanuel Mayuka
National Team: Zambia
Club Team: BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)
Age: 21
Position: Striker
There aren't many players in the world as hot as Demba Ba right now. He is second in the English Premier League in goals and has been linked to several of the top clubs in England, but where he plays his club ball is of little interest to Senegal. They are just interested in his form and with him playing as well as ever, Senegal are all smiles as they look set to reap the benefits of a high-flying Ba in this year's Africa Cup of Nations.
That Ba is playing at such a high level has been a shock for everyone, Newcastle included. The Magpies won't complain though, not about that or his relatively slow start for the club. It took until the end of September for Ba to score his first goal for Newcastle, but it came in a hat trick performance and he hasn't slowed since. The goals kept coming and by the time he left the club to join Senegal he had himself 15 goals and Premier League Player of the Month honors for December.
Ba's success with Newcastle this year isn't the first time he's been in top form. He scored 12 goals in his first season in Germany with Hoffenheim to win them promotion to the Bundesliga, then scored another 14 times in his first year in the top division for a club that shocked everyone by leading the league at Christmas. Seven goals in 12 matches for West Ham proved he can do it in England too, but the market for him was cool after the Hammers were relegated and he was available on a free transfer. That opened the door for Newcastle and the Magpies pounced. Now just about every team in the Premier League is kicking themselves for passing on Ba.
As good as Ba has been at the club level, he has yet to make the impact with Senegal that he's made with Newcastle, or even the impact he made Hoffenheim and West Ham. He scored just once in Cup of Nations qualifying and wasn't even a regular for Senegal in qualifying. Of course, this was before he showed his top form for Newcastle so he wasn't the obvious selection for Senegal that he is now, but it still leaves him unproven at the international level.
Just because Ba is unproven at the international level doesn't mean there is any reason to believe that he won't be fantastic. After all, six-foot-two, strong and with a knack for being able to turn even the most awkward of service into a shot on goal plays anywhere.
Getting to play with Papiss Demba Cisse and Moussa Sow in a front three only makes things easier on Ba. No team in the Cup of Nations will be able to match the trio of forwards that Senegal has and Ba should be able to benefit from the attention paid to the other two to get himself chances, just as the danger that Ba presents will draw attention and create chances for his teammates.
When Ba joined Newcastle, he did so on a free transfer and took the Premier League by storm. He won't be able to surprise anyone at the Cup of Nations because all eyes are on him now, but that doesn't change things. In-form goal scorers score and Ba is in the best form of any striker out there right now.
Demba Ba
National Team: Senegal
Club Team: Newcastle United
Age: 26
Position: Striker
Asamoah Gyan's career has been a bit of a roller coaster since the last time he played in the Africa Cup of Nations. In the 2010 edition of the tournament, Gyan emerged as the Black Stars' first choice center forward, scoring three goals as they made the final of the tournament. At the 2010 World Cup, he scored a dramatic winner against the United States in the Round of 16, then missed what would have been a game-winning penalty kick in the quarterfinals against Uruguay.
Following his World Cup performance, Gyan moved to Sunderland from Rennes for £13 million, a Sunderland club record. Though Steve Bruce did not start him every game and Gyan was rumored to dislike his role in Bruce's tactical setup, he proved effective, scoring 10 goals despite making just 20 starts.
A combination of financial incentives and Gyan's attitude caused the club to loan him to Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates at the start of this season. Very few people have had an opportunity to see him play, but he's scoring for fun. Will the drop-down in competition cause Gyan to drop down the Black Stars' pecking order?
Even if it doesn't, he's dealing with an injury. Gyan went down with a hamstring problem just before squad lists were due, but he was named to the Ghana squad. He participated in full training for the first time over the weekend, and could find himself back in the starting XI before long. He has plenty of time to get up to full fitness, and Goran Stevanovic will have a tough decision to make between Gyan and Prince Tagoe. Tagoe played well in qualifying and is fit, but has had a poor season for Bursaspor.
As a true center forward and lone striker in Ghana's 4-5-1/4-3-3 system, Gyan is a perfect fit, which will likely cause him to get starts even if Stevanovic wishes he was both more fit and playing at a higher level of competition. His ability to come back for the ball, hold it up, distribute to his teammates and finish is a combination of skills possessed by very few players in the world. He does not have elite size or pace, but has enough size and pace to compete with any central defenders he will encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Gyan's relationship with Sunderland fans has fluctuated constantly over the last year and a half while his desire to compete and work rate have come into question, but there's no questioning his talent and scoring rate. He scores once every other game for Ghana and has been a key player in their last two major international tournaments. If he's fit, he can't be left out of the team.
Asamoah Gyan
National Team: Ghana
Club Team: Al-Ain (UAE, on loan from Sunderland)
Age: 26
Position: Striker
Role In National Team: Center forward in 4-3-3, potential starter or first bench option
There was once a time when the Africa Cup of Nations did a very good job of putting lesser-known players on the world stage, setting them up for big moves. While the presence of smaller teams in this year's tournament will give a showcase to players in marginal leagues, most of the eyes will be on guys who are already established European stars.
The likes of Demba Ba, Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba are among the best players in the Premier League. Seydou Keita is a regular for Barcelona, Papiss Demba Cisse is one of the top strikers in the Bundesliga, and Kwadwo Asamoah is one of the top midfielders in Serie A. The Africa Cup of Nations will not be the first world stage for these players, because they're already stars.
However, some of the best players from the second tier of African teams will have a chance to gain new fans and a big transfer to a new club, as well as guide their teams to a great finish in the tournament. Over the next week, we'll profile some stars that you've seen dozens of times, as well as some guys you're unfamiliar with or that you've only vaguely heard of.
We'll be profiling 16 players, right here in this StoryStream.
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia), Demba Ba (Senegal), Didier Drogba (Cote D'Ivoire), Adel Taarabt (Morocco), Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana), Issam Jemaa (Tunisia), Yaya Toure (Cote D'Ivoire), Djalma (Angola), Seydou Keita (Mali), Jordan Ayew (Ghana), Jamel Saihi (Tunisia), Jonathan Pitroipa (Burkina Faso), Seydou Doumbia (Cote D'Ivoire), Papiss Demba Cisse (Senegal), Mehdi Benatia (Morocco)
Africa Cup Of Nations 2012 Player Profiles: Jordan Ayew
Jordan Ayew's brother Andre Ayew has played for the full Marseille and Ghana side since 2007, and since he broke through, we've known about his equally talented younger brother who was on his way through the ranks. Jordan is just 20-years-old, but it feels like he's been lingering around in world football forever. This Africa Cup of Nations could mark the first time that he becomes a key contributor for the Black Stars, especially with Asamoah Gyan out of the Premier League and just now coming back to full fitness.
By virtue of having a brother who is one of the team's key players, Jordan Ayew is always going to have to deal with comparisons. He can play across the forward line like his brother, but Andre is more of a natural winger than anything else, while Jordan is closer to being a true center forward. This means that they can co-exist in the Ghanaian starting XI, whether that be with Samuel Inkoom, Asamoah Gyan or Prince Tagoe as the third forward.
Form and opposition will cause the forward line to shift throughout the tournament for Ghana, but expect Jordan Ayew to start the team's first game up top, simply because Gyan has only recently recovered from a hamstring problem and is yet to play a competitive football match since recovering from that injury. Ayew will have to perform well to keep his place, but there's no reason to believe he won't do so with the average defenses Ghana is facing in the group stage and the talent around him.
Jordan Ayew started the year making mostly late substitute appearances for Marseille, but began to make regular starts in the middle of October while the team was struggling in the league and needed a serious change. Since then, he's tallied three goals and three assists for his club and has linked up very well with his brother. Meanwhile, Tagoe has struggled, possibly giving Ayew the upper hand in gaining a starting position.
Kwadwo Asamoah and Andre Ayew will be the focal points of the Ghanaian national team at the Africa Cup of Nations, but the club and fitness situations of Tagoe and Gyan mean that Jordan Ayew will get an opportunity to play. If he impresses, he could potentially hold down a starting forward spot for a decade.
Jordan Ayew
National Team: Ghana
Club Team: Marseille (France)
Age: 20
Position: Forward
Jan 20 1:19p by Kevin McCauley - 0 comments