Former Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is the new head coach of Ivory Coast. With just a few months left before the World Cup the Swede hasn’t got much time to prepare his squad.
He needs to work overtime to get to know his players in time for this summer’s big tournament.
Timing
It seems to be an African disease to sack their head coaches just before World Cup final tournaments. Nigeria have also recently parted with their boss Shaibu Amodu and replaced him with Eriksson’s compatriot Lars Lagerback.
It’s also happened to numerous African nations before World Cup’s in previous years. It’s not exactly ideal preparation for big tournament. Maybe that’s the reason the continents top teams seem to flatter to deceive at major competitions.
Talent
Eriksson’s big task is to mould his superb set of individuals into a team. The likes of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Kolo and Yaya Toure and Didier Zokora are all talented players, yet the national team seems to struggle on the big stage.
Ivory Coast have threatened to be the dominant African force for the last five years but have yet to live up to their potential. Despite having such talented players they have failed to impress in recent years. Eriksson will be responsible for helping the Ivorian’s golden generation fulfil their potential.
Experienced
The Swede has a wealth of experience at international level. The veteran boss has managed England and Mexico with very different results. His spell in charge of Mexico was an absolute nightmare. His side was struggling for World Cup qualification when he received the boot.
However his spell with England is judged both a success and a failure depending on who you ask. Most England fans would say that he made tactical mistakes in the 2002 quarter-final against Brazil but some would also say that Brazil were a far better team than England.
England made it to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 under Eriksson only to be beaten on penalties by hosts Portugal. England might have progressed but for a Sol Campbell goal being ruled out in normal time. His tactical skills were again in question at that tournament.
He lead England to another quarter-final in World Cup 2006, were the Three Lions were defeated again by Portugal on penalties. The defeat was again controversial as England star striker Wayne Rooney received a red card for a stamp on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho. That was his last game in charge of England and he can’t really be blamed for Rooney being sent-off.
Winner
No matter what people have said about Eriksson’s spells as an international manager, his record at club level is very good. He has won league titles in Sweden, Italy and Portugal. This proves that he can be tactically astute in the right circumstances.
If he has the right resources available to him he can put together a winning team. Even in his short spell at Manchester City he had a decent record. His City side won more points in the league than at any time in the previous years of the Premier League. He also masterminded a league double over champions Manchester United.
Down
At the moment the Ivory Coast side seem to be suffering from a slight malaise due to their failure to make an impact at the African Nations Cup. They went out in the quarter-finals to Algeria after a tame 2-1 defeat.
They were tournament favourites and the disappointment seems to have been made worse because of expectations among the fans. Eriksson needs to restore confidence amongst both fans and players. If he can do that then Ivory Coast has the talent to do well in the competition.
Tough
Ivory Coast have a tough group in the World Cup coming up against tournament favourites Brazil, Portugal and rank outsiders North Korea. The game against Portugal will probably prove to be the crucial one in the group as they will be their biggest competitors for second place in the group, with Brazil expected to take first place.
After struggling in their first and last World Cup appearance in 2006, then getting to the quarter-finals this time around will surely be seen as a successful finish for Ivory Coast and their cool and calm Swedish boss.
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