Africa Nations Cup: Random Musings on the Group Games

1. The two hosts qualification for the quarter finals has to be the story of the group stage of the ANC. The case of Equatorial Guinea is especially telling. Whatever happens against the Ivoriens, this has been a successful tournament for Equatorial Guinea.
2. As for Gabon, they have produced the best attacking game in the tournament so far, playing with pace and power, verve and passion. In my opinion if they can reduce the influence of Keita in central midfield, they should have too much pace out wide and power upfront for the Malian defence.
3. Zambia on paper will go into their match with Sudan as favorites. But in reality the gap between both teams is minimal. However the Zambian counterattacking game should find great favor with a Sudanese team with a haphazard defensive organization, often relying almost entirely on the athleticism of players in key defensive situations. But Zambia has multiple weaknesses, often struggling for creativity in the final third and lacking pace in wide areas, both in attack and defence.
4. The Ivoriens have easily the most complete squad in the tournament. In their play, they remind you of a race car driver on cruise control in a Mesarati, confident in the knowledge of his superiority. However there is always the chance of a driver in a Kia flashing by him from nowhere! The Ivoriens are attempting to play within themselves, but they appear discomfited and not a little tentative, often leaving gaps behind the central midfielders for the counterattck. The most impact of this constricted approach is on Yaya Toure and to a lesser extent Chiekh Tiote who have so far had an anonymous tournamant. How well they handle an insurgent Equatorial Guinea team will go a long way in validating the approach they have chosen in the tournament.
5. The Ghana -Tunisia match up is the top game of the quarter final rounds. The Ghanaians remain the most tactically balanced team in the tournament. However the lack of creative end product from either Muntari or Kwadwo Asamoah from the central midfield role behind Gyan in a 4-2-3-1 formation continues to constrain the team. In Tunisia they will be facing a team which has troubles dealing with physically dominant teams, with a central defence lacking pace and positional discipline, especially the appropriately named Bilel Ifa! The main weakness of this Ghanaian team in my opinion is in the limited contribution of the duo of Anthony Annan and Agyeman Badu in the central defensive midfield position.

VERDICT:

• A largely tepid round of group matches, illuminated by the epic contest between Morocco and Gabon.
• The decision to play the Libya-Zambia 'water polo' match in many ways underlined the ineptitude of Issa Hayatou's CAF.
• On the officiating, the referees assistants continue to blow their offsides call.

INDIVIDUAL AWARD: An Oscar for Equatorial Guinea's Narcisse Ekanga who brought hollywood home to Africa! http://youtu.be/BJbSxMt7oH8


BILLY BEANE BEAN COUNTING AWARD: For the number of times Niger's central defender Mohammed 'the Butcher of Niamey' Chicoto went to ground and lunged in order to make a tackle.....