adminBATA. — Cote d’Ivoire have a better balance between work horses and match winners allied with a steely determination to end a long drought in the African Cup of Nations, coach Herve Renard said yesterday.“This is not the Cote d’Ivoire of the past. There are a lot of new players who I’m sure not many of you knew about before this tournament,” he told reporters ahead of tonight’s semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bata.
The match starts at 9pm.
“These new players worked very hard in the preparations and showed me they are able to play in the starting line-up. We have a good balance between those who work hard and those with a lot of talent. I think this combination is perfect of the Cote d’Ivoire.”
Renard, who had previously complained of a defective team spirit with too many leading players pulling in different directions, said the bad experiences for many of his squad in previous Nations Cups was now proving useful.
At the previous five Nations Cup tournaments, the Ivorians had started as favourites but crashed out on each occasion, earning them the moniker of “chokers”.
“The players with a lot of experience have many bad experiences,” Renard said. “But we seek to use the bad as a means to motivate and get success.
“We came here a fortnight ago with no expectations on us. No one was taking about us but this has changed over the last two weeks. Things change fast in football,” added Renard, who won the Nations Cup three years ago when Zambia beat the Ivorians in the 2012 final on post match penalties.
“After our last two wins over Cameroon and Algeria, now we are the favourites of the bookmakers but that can be dangerous. It is also not important. What is important is what happens on the field.
“When we started this race I said we all start on the same line. Now we are only four left. But the best position, the only position is No 1. We won’t be satisfied with anything else.” Meanwhile, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Florent Ibenge may be the last indigenous coach left in the 2015 African Cup of Nations, but that won’t stop him dreaming beyond tonight’s semi-final against Cote d’Ivoire.
“It will be extraordinary to be champions here. It will be a big achievement,” said the 52-year-old, who led V Club of Kinshasa to last year’s Caf Champions League final.
“It will prove we are winners and it will make our people, who are going through a difficult time, happy again. This tournament was not our main target. We were aiming at the 2017 competition, but now we are still here. It’s a bonus for us and with this bonus we are taking it a step at a time.
“Now the motivation is to reach the final at the expense of a big team like Cote d’Ivoire.”
He continued: “That’s what I keep telling my players — live for today, not the next day, and every time try and be better and don’t have any regrets.
“This is how we started this tournament and we will continue with this philosophy.”
Ibenge was appointed last August in place of legendary French coach Claude le Roy and his initial contract runs out this August.
One decision he will have to take soon will be whether to concentrate on the national team or his club after admitting combining both jobs has been difficult.
“It’s difficult to combine handling a club and the national team. My family and I will have to sit and decide what is best for me,” he said.
Ibenge was one of only three African coaches who led their countries to the finals in Equatorial Guinea and he reasoned that lack of confidence is behind this. — AFP.
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