The
2013 Africa Cup of Nations is starting in less than 2 days’ time. Sixteen teams
will be aiming to become continental champions at the end of the 2013 Africa
Cup of Nations. History will be written on February 10 at National Stadium in
Johannesburg.
South Africa
Despite
the current tactical challenges observed in the warm up games such as
vulnerable and poor defence, visionless, and lack of creativity in the engine
room, ineffective wing play and poor scoring techniques (Composure), Bafana
Bafana will be a surprise package of the AFCON 2013 with home ground advantage.
South African massive soccer fans will give Bafana needed 12th player in the
tournament. I strongly believe that the Coach Gordon Igesund will sharpen and
strengthen his tactics and techniques as his team cannot afford to let the
country down.
Player to watch for
Bafana Bafana
Reneilwe 'Black Jesus' Letsholonyane, Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa
Kaizer
Chiefs midfielder Yeye Letsholonyane is the only player in the engine room
that stimulates confidence to many South African soccer fans. ‘Black Jesus’ as
affectionately known in the local football; is a mobile player playable by his
teammates. He has balance offensive and defensive techniques with the best
transitional movement on and off the ball. When the odds are down, he is one
player you can count on to deliver positive results for the Nation.
Ghana
The
Coach Kwesi Appiah has selected the balance team comprised of good players
playing in big European leagues such as Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese,
Italy), Anthony Annan (Osasuna, Spain), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus, Italy)
Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, United Arab Emirates), Mubarak Wakaso (Espanyol, Spain).
The free flowing offensive carpet football coupled with effective wing play of
Ghana will win the hearts of many African soccer fans.
Player to watch for Ghana
Kwadwo
Asamoah, Juventus, Italy
The
player to watch from Ghana is Kwadwo Asamoah who has emerged as one of the key
players for Juventus in Italy. The absence of Andre Ayew and Sulley Muntarihas
propelled Kwadwo Asamoah to the limelight. Kwadwo is already indispensable at
Juventus playing as left winger but the coach Kwesi Appiah will use him as
creative player behind strikers to add direct offensive depth.
Nigeria
The
Super Eagles missed out on qualifying for the 2012 tournament in Gabon and
Equatorial Guinea. The coach Stephen Keshi has revitalised the Nigerian team by
combining the European based players with local based players who have hunger
to succeed in the current team.
Many
Nigerians soccer pundits believed that the quality of players representing
Nigeria at the 2013 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, is 'low citing poor quality
of some of local based players selected and also poor flow of the balls in the
previous warm up games but I believe in Stephen Keshi current “rebuilding” move
with many local based players’ in the team will bring success'.
Player to watch for Nigeria
Victor
Moses, Chelsea, England
Victor
Moses’ pace, power, dribbling skills and direct running are his strongest
assets in football. In terms of his ability to run at and beat players, he is
one of the special players that can do what he wants to do when he is in the
control of the ball but his weakness is a final product.
Zambia
Zambia
kept the core of 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winning team with a return of
Utrecht current top goal-scorer Jacob Mulenga in Holland who missed out in the
2012 AFCON. Chipolopolo have been very far from impressing soccer fans. The
Zambian tempo in the recent games has declined intensely and they qualified in
this AFCON 2013 in dramatic circumstances.
Player to watch for Zambia
Emmanuel
Mayuka, Southampton, England
The
21-year-old was named the top goal scorer at the 2012 edition of the AFCON and
made it to the AFCON 2012 All Stars team. Mayuka possesses a variety of
exceptional skills and good scoring technique coupled with the best composure.
Mayuka is now holding a key for Zambia to progress to the next round.
Ivory Coast
Les
Éléphants has been knocking at the AFCON Championship’s door for many years
without any success. They nearly made it at the AFCON 2012 unfortunate Zambians
were in a mean mood and lost via penalty shootout. Cote D’Ivoire coach Sabri
Lamouchi selected the best Ivorian’s on form players with 6 players coming out
of the best English Premiership League and the 3 of the 6 players are from the
current EPL Champions Manchester City (Abdul Razak, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure).
Ivory
Coast has the best effective midfield combo of Cheik Tiote, Yaya Toure and
Didier Zokora in Africa. The striking force is made up of Current Holland
Eredivisie leading goal-scorer Bony Wilfried alongside experienced and evergreen
strikers such as Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Arouna Kone, Lacina Traore and
Gervihno. Ivory Coast has the best defensive record in Africa for the past 2
years. It will be a serious mission in the AFCON 2013 to penetrate the wall of
Souleman Bamba, Siaka Tiene, Kolo Toure and Emanuel Eboue but the presence of
Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso will be missed at the back for the Elephants Ivory
Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry didn't concede a goal during play at AFCON 2012
until in the penalty shootout against Zambia in the final.
Player to watch for Ivory
Coast
Yaya
Toure, Manchester City, England
Ivory Coast have good players to watch but the current African Football of the Year Toure is standing the head and shoulders above the rest. He is the spine of
Manchester City team and also Ivory Coast. He is the perfect player with
balance offensive and defensive techniques coupled with the highest work rate.
He has perfect ball control, crossing, dribbling, finishing, free kicks,
heading, long pass, short pass, marking, tackles ability coupled with good
balance, acceleration, agility, sprint speed, reaction, stamina, aggression and
vision.
My AFCON 2013 Verdict
Ivory
Coast team will start the 2013 edition of the African Cup of Nations as hot
favourites when the tournament gets underway in South Africa this Saturday.
Yes, In paper Ivory Coast are hot favourite to win this AFCON 2013, but the
massive support of Bafana Bafana will make it very difficult if not impossible
for other teams to win this Cup beside Bafana Bafana.
AFCON
is always full of surprises as dark horses are always emerging victorious in
this tournament. Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Angola
and even Cape Verde are capable to walk away with the cup but DR Congo,
Ethiopia and Niger are just adding numbers in the tournament.
Who will
win AFCON 2013?
By Owen Mundalamo
(Accredited Orange
AFCON 2013 Soccer Journalist)
