Ivory Coast at the World Cup

Ivory Coast

 

Manager:Vahid Halilhodzic (Serbian)

Captain: Didier Drogba

FIFA World Ranking: 19

World Cup Appearances: 1

Best World Cup: Round 1 – 2006

 

 

 

Profile:

 

The Ivory Coast, or Côte d’Ivoire as they are sometimes known, have taken over the African powerhouse mantle from the likes of Cameroon & Nigeria and have rapidly become a force to be reckoned with in International football. Lead by Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast are a robust outfit, they really are your typical African side. Strength, speed, agility, are just some of the attributes associated with this Ivory Coast set up and although they didn’t progress past the group stages in Germany, 2006, they certainly left their mark on the tournament after some creditable displays, securing their first win in a World Cup when they fought back from 2-0 down to beat the Serbians 3-2. Many pundits, including ourselves, thought they would have gone a lot further in the competition were they not drawn in such a difficult group consisting of Serbia & Montenegro, Netherlands & Argentina.

 

Although Ivory Coast have been putting in some blistering displays of late, smashing their way through Group E, qualifying with a game to spare. They were also one of just two African nations to remain unbeaten through qualifying, winning 5 and drawing just the 1. They were often on the right end of a thumping, scoring 19 goals and conceding just the four. Halilhodzic’s side really were the team of the continent in qualifying but now, unlike in their first World Cup, many will be expecting the Ivorians to go far this summer. They performed very well under the underdog tag so how they will handle the expectant pressure of a buoyant home nation.

 

 

 

Manager:

African nations have a knack of hiring somewhat unknown managers, at least to most European anyway, and Ivory Coast are no exception. Vahid Halilhodzic does have first hand managerial experience at club level but those are with fairly small clubs. Lille, Rennes, PSG & Trabzonspor, are all sides Halilhodzic has managed in his eighteen year career. He was striker back in the day which maybe why Ivory Coast play with such an attacking vigour. Remember, the Ivory Coast bagged 19 goals in qualifying, 9 more than any other nation in the African zone, so his attacking impotence is clearly having a positive affect.

 

 

 

Key Players:

 

 

Didier Drogba –

 

Chelsea’s best striker in our eyes is the Ivorians biggest asset. Drogba had his critics in his first few seasons at Chelsea but he has recently become of age, especially for his country. Not only has Didier Drogba been handed the captaincy but he also has a big say in how the team is set up and the tactics employed. Halilhodzic clearly values Drobga’s thoughts and the pair have formed a deadly partnership it would seem.

 

Drogba, unsurprisingly, finished qualifying as their top goalscorer with six goals. Halilhodzic did show huge amounts of respect towards Chelsea as Didier was often left on the bench to preserve his fitness and reduce the chance of injury. However, it was fitting that Drogba scored Ivory Coast’s qualifying assurance goal when he came off the bench to rescue a point against Burkina Faso.

 

 

Yaya Toure –

 

Yaya, brother of Man City’s Kolo Toure, plays a pivotal role in the Ivory Coast fold. The Barcelona man plays a holding role, just behind the midfied, and it will down to him to halt the opposing attacks and get the Ivory Coast’s forward play going. He’s not the best going forward, although he did score twice during qualifying, but he is very accomplished in that defensive midfield role and with his side looking to attack at every opportunity, Yaya could very well be in for a busy tournament as the Ivory Coast can leave gaps at the back when striding forward.

 

 

 

 

Strengths:

 

Most certainly their pace of attack and actually their quality up top. Didier Drogba is of course the stand out forward in the set up but we mustn’t forget the likes of Salomoun Kalou, Sekou Cisse and newcomer – Gervinho. The Ivory Coast were the most prolific side on the continent in qualifying, scoring 19 goals in 12 qualifiers. Not only that but they kept it very tight at the back, shipping just four goals in return, so it does appear that Vahid Halilhodzic has found the perfect formula with Ivory Coast.

 

 

Weakness:

 

The lack of World class replacement is perhaps where Ivory Coast’s biggest faults are. Although they do boast some classy forward substitutes, were Didier Drogba to fall foul of an injury before the finals, Halilhodzic would lose his star man and his main goal threat, as well as his most influential figurehead. Our biggest concerns lay in the midfield. Didier Zokora has been a first choice for Halilhodzic, as well as Yaya Toure, but both can be exposed, especially the former, and they aren’t the sort of players that can take a game by the scruff of the neck. Their sole purpose in that midfield it to thwart opposing attacks and distribute simple balls out to the wingers. They’ve completed their objectives extremely well in qualifying but they’ve yet to receive a real test against a big international side. That will come shortly and it will be interesting to see how they fare.

 

 

 

Qualification:

 

Sector: Africa

Group: E

Position: 1st

Win-Draw-Lose: 5-1-0

Goals Scored: 19

Goals Conceded: 4

 

 

 

 

Qualifying statistics:

 

 

• The Ivory Coast were one of just two nations in Africa to finish qualifying unbeaten, winning five, with their only dropped points coming away in Burkina Faso in a 1-1 draw.

• Despite playing just five times, Didider Drogba finished as Ivory Coast’s top goalscorer with six goals, averaging just over a goal a game.

• Didier Zokora & Emmanuel Eboue played all of Ivory Coast’s 12 qualifiers, although it was Zokora who played every single minute of qualifying.

• Ivory Coast certainly took full advantage of playing at home as they won all three of their group qualifiers, scoring 13 whilst keeping a clean sheet in all three.

 

 

World Cup Potential: 4/5

 

We feel the Ivory Coast could be a big player this summer, barring injuries to key players. They really do look fearful on the attack, with Didier Drogba spear heading their forward plays, while they performed particularly well in defence. However, there are reservations over that defence as they haven’t yet been tested by any real quality. However, should they pass the test posed by some of the worlds finest attackers then Vahid Halilzodvic’s side could be the surprise package next summer, although, most people now know of the talent surrounding the Ivory Coast so perhaps it won’t be much of a surprise if they do perform well.

 

 

 

 

Current World Cup Odds: 33/1 – Boylesports

 

World Cup Group G - Table

Rank	Team	Matches / Points
	Brazil	0 Matches / 0 Points
	North Korea	0 Matches / 0 Points
	Ivory Coast	0 Matches / 0 Points
	Portugal	0 Matches / 0 Points

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