The real question we all should be wondering is which CAF team will advance pass group stage and what team if any can make some noise in brazil. The last WC in SA was such a disappointment if it wasn't for Ghana saving the day it would have been a disaster. Nigeria and Cameroon bombed out of their group, Algeria and Ivory Coast had no chance to advance. But of these 5 NT who can get out of their group in brazil. And if one does can they make a decent run (QF). Cameroon, Algeria in my opinion are doomed. Too weak or and stiff competition. Ghana chances the best NT is slim IMO unless they get an opening 3 points from the USA even then it's an uphill climb. Ivory Coast and Nigeria have the best hope especially the Ivory Coast. Nigeria will Need to not self destruct like they are well known to do. What do you guys think...
I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of Cote d'Ivoire. They were evidently better than Portugal and had the more clear-cut chances. But they really needed to win that game, while the coach decided a draw is enough. So no - they weren't doomed. Their team was good enough to win that game. Disagree again. No one really knows how good they are and both have improved in 2013. And neither has really stiff opposition plus the weather should favor the equatorian Cameroon. Mexico and Croatia barely qualified, while Belgium, Russia and South Korea have a lot to prove.
CIV against Portugal played for the draw hence they believed they could not win. It didn't help that it was in a torrential downpour. CIV was in a group of death for 2 straight WC even with a weak Portugal team in 2010 they were not going to get out of that group. Algeria will play stellar defense but won't produce goals enough to obtain enough points to advance. Cameroon opening game is key they need points against a relatively weak Mexico in the opener.
Sorry bro, but MTNFOOTBALL is not the most credible source especially in Nigerian media. They've gotten a number of our National team players (Onazi, Ogude, etc) in trouble with their clubs by fabricating false quotes. Imoh definitely wanted to play for Belgium, all this "excitement" is just a PR job. I honestly can't blame him for not wanting to play for us initially....
GHANA FOR 5th March: Goalkeepers: Adam Kwarasey (Stromgodset, Norway), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars) Defenders: Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), Samuel Inkoom (Platanias, Greece), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege, Belgium), David Addy (Vitoria Guimaraes, Portugal), Jerry Akaminko (Eskisehirspor, Turkey), John Boye (Rennes, France), Jonathan Mensah (Evian, France) Midfielders: Michael Essien (AC Milan, Italy), Sulley Muntari (AC Milan, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus, Italy), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke, Germany), Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese, Italy), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough, England), Mubarak Wakaso (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Christian Atsu (Vitesse Arnhem, Holland), Andre Ayew (Marseille, France) Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, UAE), Abdul Majeed Waris (Valenciennes, Italy), Jordan Ayew (Marseille, France) --- COMMENT: No surprises whatsoever apart from the GK department. If I were to pick 20 outfield players that I expect to be in Brasil the above 19 + Isaac Vorsah or Mohamed Rabiu would be my list. Not entirely happy with the goal-shy Jordan Ayew call-up, but to be honest none of the tested players have really been firing on all cylinders - be it Boakye or Assifuah. Maybe he should call up players from the lesser leagues like Banahene (Turkish Div 2) or Accam. If Gyan gets injured Ghana have a problem. Very safe selection, so my guess is that Appiah will just be tinkering with the his first XI setup and testing players / selections options like Addy, Ayew and Prince-Boateng. I guess the biggest omission is Fatau Dauda, who was Ghana's first choice keeper. Inactive at club level it looks like it'll be between Kwarasey and the standout GK of the CHAN Adams.
Sorry. Copied the same mistake as somewhere else. Waris is on loan at Valenciennes. Wasn't getting the playing time in Russia. Moved on loan in January to France and he's been a revelation. 4 goals and 4 assists in 7 league games so far. Pretty much a key player for Valenciennes bid to avoid relegation. Fun fact: Waris has scored or assisted 8 out of the 9 goals that Valenciennes has scored since his arrival. He has been a revelation so far in Ligue 1. Best place for African players to develop. Without a doubt.
You should see the US board they are overconfident thinking they will easily beat Ghana and they are seething with the opportunity for revenge.
Michael Olaitan is the best player on a likely CL quarterfinalist team. It would be criminal not to call him up.
Algeria team for Slovenia friendly. Goalkeepers: Azzeddine Doukha (USM Harrach), Rais Mbolhi (CSKA Sofia), Cedric Si Mohammed (CS Constantine), Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (USM Alger) Defenders: Essaid Belkalem (Watford), Majid Bougherra (Al Lekhwiya), Liassine Cadamuro (Real Sociedad), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli), Rafik Halliche (Academica Coimbra), Nacereddine Khoualed (USM Alger), Aissa Mandi (Stade Reims), Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Djamel Mesbah (Livorno), Ali Rial (JS Kabylie) Midfielders: Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham Hotspur), Yacine Brahimi (Granada), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Zinedine Ferhat (USM Alger), Adlene Guedioura (Crystal Palace), Foued Kadir (Stade Rennes), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Mehdi Mostefa (Ajaccio), Saphir Taider (Inter Milan), Hassan Yebda (Udinese) Forwards: Rafik Djebbour (Nottingham Forest), Hilal Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb), Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon). -- Quite a lot of benchwarmers from mediocre clubs on the side (Cadamuro, Belkalem, Medjani, Mesbah, Guedioura, Lacen, Yebda, Djebbour) Important to note the new call-ups: Aissa Mandi - a very good 22-year old right back at Stade Reims, one of their better players Nabil Bentaleb - has risen in prominence since the AVB was dumped, could be a big inclusion, although dropped off in form after a superb January If you look at the squad it does have some quality players - above all Ghoulam, Feghouli, Brahimi, Taider. Soudani is also a great player and should think he ought to be preferred over Djebbour, while Slimani has really been doing good for himself since his movie to Portugal. Still the attack for Algeria looks pretty weak and not much renowned goalscoring players in midfield . Soudani and Slimani could prove me wrong, as they have been pretty prominent for Algeria. The continued Djebbour call-ups do baffle me however, as he never was anything more than an average utility player. Possibly even half of the players are French-born...
Belgian media report that Ezekiel will accept Nigeria's invitation now his naturalisation was denied.
I don't even know who Thomas Libiih Junior is Well... I know he had a father who played for Cameroon in 1990.
Cameroon announces it squad for Portugal: Goalkeepers: Charles Itandje (Konyaspor, Turkey), Sammy Ndjock (Antalyaspor, Turkey), Guy-Rolland Ndy Assembé (Guingamp, France) Defenders: Allan Nyom (Granada, Spain), Aurelien Chedjou (Galatasaray, Turkey), Dany Nounkeu (Besiktas, Turkey), Nicolas Nkoulou (Marseille, France), Gaëtan Bong (Olympiakos, Greece), Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik (Rennes, France), Benoît Assou-Ekotto (QPR, England), Henri Bedimo (Lyon, France). Midfielders: Eyong Enoh (Antalyaspor, Turkey), Jean II Makoun (Rennes, France), Joël Matip (Schalke 04, Germany), Franck Bagnack (FC Barcelona, Spain), Landry Nguemo (Bordeaux, France), Alexandre Song (FC Barcelona, Spain). Attackers: Samuel Eto’o (Chelsea, England), Vincent Aboubakar (Lorient, France), Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting (1 FSV Mainz, Germany), Benjamin Moukandjo (Nancy, France), Jean-Marie Dongou (FC Barcelona, Spain), Mohamadou Idrissou (Kaiserslautern, Germany) ---- 1. No new names on the list. Were the new acquisitions by Cameroon just hearsay or is it due to the procedure of nationality change? 2. No Mbia (injury), no Webo (injury?). Would expect them to make the final squad, but who do we drop. 3. Barcelona youth Bagnack and Dongou make the squad. 4. And once again we have 6 defensive midfielders called up... 5. Cameroon looks very strong defensively and not too bad in attack. Unfortunately there seems to be no link-up player between the two... Except for a lot of very good attacking RB and LB (Nyom, Bong, Bedimo, Assou Ekotto), who could deliver a lot of good crosses and cause infiltration from the sides.
And finally Cote d'Ivoire: Goalkeepers: Barry Boubacar Copa (Lokeren, Belgium), Sylvain Gbohouo (Séwé Sport, Cote d'Ivoire), Sayouba Mandé (Stabaek, Norway) Defenders: Jean Daniel Akpro Akpa (Toulouse, France), Serge Aurier (Toulouse, France), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart, Germany), Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor, France), Brice Dja Djédjé (Marseille, France), Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt, Germany), Siaka Tiené (Montpellier, France), Kolo Abib Touré (Liverpool, England), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey) Midfielders: Geoffroy Serey Dié (FC Basle, Switzerland), Ismaël Diomandé (Saint-Etienne, France), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Genclerbirligi, Turkey), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne, France), Koffi N'Dri Romaric (Bastia, France), Jean-Michaël Seri (Pacos De Ferreira, Portugal), Cheick Ismaël Tioté (Newcastle, England), Yaya Gnegneri Touré (Manchester City, England) Forwards: Mathis Bolly (Düsseldorf, Germany), Wilfried Bony (Swansea, England), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray, Turkey), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Salomon Kalou (Lille, France), Giovanni Sio (FC Bazel, Switzerland), Gervais Yao Kouassi 'Gervinho' (AS Roma, Italy) --- 1. Two new names for me: a) 20 year old Norway based goalkeeper Mande, which seems to be first choice goalkeeper for the Norwegian side. Good the team is searching, because Copa really needs a successor. b) 22 year old dimunitive Portuguese based midfielder Seri, who I know very little about apart from the fact he seems to be getting decent minutes at his club. 2. Good the coach is trying to introduce some youth like Diomande, Seri, Bolly, Aurier, Dja Djadje, Akpro Akpa, Mande, Gbohouo, Sio. Aurier and Akpro Akpa already look like class, plus both are pretty flexible in the position (albeit they are nominally LBs). The rest seems to be their simply as backup players. 3. Lacina Traore is out with injury. Hope Drogba gets benched for the friendly, so that Bony and Doumbia can fight it out for who takes the mantle over from the legend. Doumbia, Bony and Traore are three potentially world class forwards all vying for the same spot... Drogba at least needs to give them a chance to shine. 4. Gosso Gosso? Haven't they learned yet that the further away from him the better?
He self-destructed his career. He was held in such high regard at the club, but then tried to force a transfer that failed. Now finds himself benched at Malaga... Had he not changed club he would have likely been an Espanyol legend like Thomas N'kono.
Very good defensive midfielder in Cameroonian league, Les Astres de Douala. Actually he was in the 28 home based plays call up for a camp today. Yes, he is the son of Thomas Libiih, dunno if he is as good as his father was.
Still no Eboue.. btw Viera's clubs is in Turkey, not France lol. I'm so nit picky. Why is there so many Wingbacks?? Tiene, Djedje, Djakpa, etc. Jean Michel Seri was on loan at Porto playing for their B-Team and then I think they re-loaned him out so he could get European experience. He was very good at ASEC the season prior to leaving for Portugal. I'd like to see how he and Bobley Anderson would do. Both similar type of players. No Ya-Konan but they make room for Gosso-Gosso.. lol my god.
Oh yeah. No Bobley Anderson is a slight surprise. Still not sure if Cote d'Ivoire has the quality to replace this generation of footballers come 2018. 6 wingbacks... Akpra Akpo, Siene, Aurier, Dja Djadje, Boka, Djakpa... Three a side... only reason I can think of is that some of them can also play as wingers or central defenders. And to think that with this abundance of RB options they didn't play with a proper RB in the second Senegal game.
I don't think it will be easy or a win is at all guaranteed, but I think the U.S. will likely be the favorite in that match.