| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Boubacar Barry | Goalkeeper | Beveren (Belgium) |
| Gerard Gnanhouan | Goalkeeper | Montpellier (France) |
| Jean-Jacques Tizie | Goalkeeper | Esperance (Tunisia) |
| Arthur Boka | Defender | Strasbourg (France) |
| Cyril Domoraud | Defender | Creteil (France) |
| Emmanuel Eboue | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Blaise Kouassi | Defender | Troyes (France) |
| Abdoulaye Meite | Defender | Olympique Marseille (France) |
| Kolo Toure | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Marc Zoro | Defender | Messina (Italy) |
| Kanga Akale | Midfielder | Auxerre (France) |
| Guy Demel | Midfielder | Hamburg (Germany) |
| Emerse Fae | Midfielder | Nantes (France) |
| Ndri Romaric | Midfielder | Le Mans (France |
| Yaya Toure | Midfielder | Olympiakos (Greece) |
| Gilles Yapi | Midfielder | Young Boys (Switzerland) |
| Didier Zokora | Midfielder | St Etienne (France) |
| Aruna Dindane | Forward | Lens (France) |
| Didier Drogba | Forward | England (Chelsea) |
| Abdul Kader Keita | Forward | Lille (France) |
| Bonaventure Kalou | Forward | Paris St. Germain (France) |
| Arouna Kone | Forward | PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) |
| Bakari Kone | Forward | Nice (France) |
| Head Coach: | Henri Michel | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Under French coach Henri Michel, the Ivory Coast attack combines classy, stylistic soccer with natural athleticism. The Ivorian team, using a 4-4-2 formation, is very quick and uses its speed to exploit slow-footed defenders - a common tactic is for the defenders to make a pass over the top of the opposing defence, giving the strikers a chance to use their pace to run onto the ball and go on a breakaway. Blaise Kouassi and Kolo Toure marshal the defence from the middle, while outside fullbacks Emmanuel Eboue and Arthur Boka use their speed down the wings in support of the attack. Didier Zokora is the midfield enforcer, breaking up the opponent's attack with his tough tackling and solid defensive skills. Yaya Toure is the main creator in the middle, ably abetted by Kanga Akale on the left and Emerse Fae on the right. Forward Didier Drogba and Arouna Kone are a lethal scoring combination, playing quick passes between each other and circling around the penalty area like vultures, waiting for a timely pass that will cut open the defence.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Jean-Jacques Tizie - (D) Emmanuel Eboue, Blaise Kouassi, Kolo Toure, Arthur Boka - (M) Emerse Fae, Didier Zokora, Yaya Toure, Kanga Akale - (F) Didier Drogba, Arouna Kone
Strengths:
Forwards - The Ivory Coast can score goals. Strikers Didier Drogba and
Arouna Kone compose a lethal 1-2 scoring punch, as they combined for the majority
of the team's goals in the qualifiers. Both are starters for their clubs (Chelsea
and PSV Eindhoven, respectively) and are deadly finishers. They are backed
up by two quality players in the form of Arouna Kone (Lens) and Bakari Kone
(Nice).
Coaching - In Henri Michel, the Ivory Coast has an experienced coach
who knows how to get the best out his players. Michel coached France for four
years (including in 1986 when they reached the World Cup semifinals) and won
an Olympic medal with Les Bleus in 1984. He's also coached several powerful
African nations: Cameroon, Morocco and Tunisia.
Confidence - The fact that the Ivory Coast reached the finals of the
2006 African Nations Cup against host Egypt shows they are ready to compete
at the World Cup. A recent 1-1 draw with Italy in an exhibition game underscored
the fact that they are one of the best teams in Africa. But that's not enough:
they want to prove it to the rest of the world.
Weaknesses:
Tough group - Welcome to the World Cup, Ivory Coast! The Africans will
play their first two games against Argentina and the Netherlands, two countries
with a wealth of World Cup experience. Serbia and Montenegro, an emerging
European soccer power, is no pushover, either. If Ivory Coast is to progress,
it will have to fight and really earn it.
Defence and midfield - Aside from Kolo Toure, Ivory Coast doesn't have
a reliable centre back it can call on. Both outside fullbacks like to move
forward in attack at the expense of their defensive duties. Didier Zokora
is one of many hard-working defensive midfielders for the Ivory Coast, but
the team is missing a real creative playmaker to orchestrate the attack.
Goalkeeping - A serious problem area. Starter Jean-Jacques Tizie is
the only goalkeeper with experience but he is inconsistent at the best of
times. He's also injury prone, which means if he's not available for duty,
the Africans will have to rely on one of their untested backups, Boubacar
Barry or Gerard Gnanhouan.
Players to watch:
Didier Drogba - A star striker with English Premiership champions Chelsea.
Drogba is equally adept at using his height to score with his head or his
quick feet to breeze past defenders before blasting the ball into the net.
He led Ivory Coast in scoring in the qualifiers with nine goals and is of
paramount importance to his country. One of the best African soccer players
today.
Kolo Toure - The backbone of the Ivorian defence. The centre fullback
has vast experience playing at the highest level of European soccer as a regular
starter for English Premiership club Arsenal. Strong, athletic and cool under
pressure, Toure isn't shy about bombing forward with his blistering speed
and lending his considerable talents in attack. He can also play in midfield.
Aruna Dindane - The explosive striker is one of the top stars in Ligue
Un, the French first division, with Lens. Dindane played a major role in helping
Ivory Coast qualify for the World Cup by scoring seven goals in qualifying.
Dindane is fantastic with the ball at his feet and has a real a goal-scorer's
instinct.
Key injuries/squad omissions: Coach Henri Michel selected striker Abdoul Kader Keita instead of Siaka Tiene. Striker Boubacar Sanogo was another surprise omission.
Prognosis: The Ivory Coast demonstrated a tremendous amount of determination
in even qualifying for the World Cup. Les Elephants - The Elephants, overcame
a pair of qualifying losses to African superpower Cameroon to win their group
ahead of the Indomitable Lions by a single point and earn their first ever
World Cup berth. Now that they're here, they are ready to show why they are
considered the new heavyweights of African soccer. The Ivory Coast is brimming
with attacking flair, thanks in large part to the talents of dangerous Chelsea
striker Didier Drogba, and they are brimming with confidence. Still, it's
hard to see them getting a result against either Argentina or the Netherlands
in their first two games, meaning they'll likely be battling Serbia and Montenegro
for third place in Group C.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #32
1st round matches:
June 10 vs. Argentina in Hamburg
June 16 vs. The Netherlands in Stuttgart
June 21 vs. Serbia and Montenegro in Munich
2006 qualification route: Ivory Coast finished in first place (22
points) in Africa's Group 3 ahead of Cameroon (21 points).
Qualifying record: 10 games played, 7 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses
Goals for: 20 Goals against: 7
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Didier Drogba (9)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
June 6, 2004 - Ivory Coast 2, Libya 0
June 20, 2004 - Egypt 1, Ivory Coast 2
July 4, 2004 - Cameroon 2, Ivory Coast 0
Sept. 5, 2004 - Ivory Coast 5, Sudan 0
Oct.10, 2004 - Benin 0, Ivory Coast 1
March 27, 2005 - Ivory Coast 3, Benin 0
June 3, 2005 - Libya 0, Ivory Coast 0
June 19, 2005 - Ivory Coast 2, Egypt 0
Sept. 4, 2005 - Ivory Coast 2, Cameroon 3
Oct. 8, 2005 - Sudan 1, Ivory Coast 3
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1960
Team nickname: Les Elephants (The Elephants)
All-time caps leader: Didier Drogba (29)
All-time leading scorer: Didier Drogba (21)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: none
World Cup History:
1930 to 1970 - Did not enter
1974 - Did not qualify
1978 - Did not qualify
1982 - Did not enter
1986 to 2002 - Did not qualify
Hosted the World Cup: Never
Past Achievements:
African Nations Cup Champions: 1992
Greatest Players:
Laurent Pokou: The all-time leading scorer in the African Nations Cup
with 14 goals. Pokou led Ivory Coast to back-to-back semifinal appearances
in the competition (1968 and 1970) and holds the tournament record for most
goals in a game (five against Ethiopia in 1970). He played for Stade Rennais
and Nancy-Lorraine in the French first division during the 1970s.