Lamouchi hails Ivory Coast experience

Sabri Lamouchi believes his Ivory Coast side have the experience to succeed at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The African outfit have often been accused of a lack of concentration at the back in some quarters, but coach Lamouchi insists his players’ know-how will help them overcome the problem.

Ivory Coast kick off their campaign against Japan on Saturday, and Lamouchi is looking for a team approach to defending.

“Our defensive problems are not just the problems of our defenders,” he said. “The more players we will have involved in the defensive tasks, the easier it will be for our defenders.

“We are fully aware of the problems we have encountered. We were faced with injuries and some of our defenders lack playing time, but I count a lot on the experience of those players in such a competition.

“It is clear that we will have to be more compact. Japan are dynamic, pacey and move quickly forward, so we will need to remain very close from each other.”

Lamouchi would love to have midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure available for the game, but admitted the Manchester City star is doubtful as he continues to recover from a thigh injury.

“Yaya is currently recovering and everything is going well,” Lamouchi said. “But he is not back to full fitness yet. You will have to wait until Saturday to see if he will be playing or not.”