Ivory Coast and their reasons for optimism

The old guard

The golden generation of the Ivory Coast- Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure, are all past the age of 30. All are legends not only for their clubs, but also for their country inspiring various youngsters to follow in their footsteps. This generation of players is coming to an end. Many have predicted that Ivory Coast will suddenly become a minor team to contend with when these three stalwarts retire. However, there are some who are more than capable of carrying the baton. Here’s a look at them:-

WILFRIED BONY

Wilfried Bony celebrates after scoring against Manchester United

The Swansea City striker has settled very well into the Premier League in his 1st season while also powering the Swans through to the last 32 of the Europa League before they fell as expected to Napoli. At the beginning of the season, Michu was the star of the Swansea team. However, injury has kept the Spaniard out and Bony has stepped up to the plate and delivered for the Swans. Before moving to Swansea, Bony proved himself in the Dutch Eredvisie, winning the Dutch footballer of the year award as well as the Eredvisie golden boot.

His biggest asset is his physicality and Bony uses it extremely well. He is a fantastic finisher who has some fierce strikes in his locker. He has also proven his worth at Swansea in the big games, scoring braces against Liverpool and Manchester City and a goal against United, albeit in losing causes. He also scored Swansea’s winner against Manchester United in the FA Cup. Bony made his debut for Ivory Coast in 2010 and was part of the side that finished runners-up in the 2012 Africa Cup Of Nations and also featured in the 2013 edition.

GERVINHO

The next player on the list is 26year old winger, Gervinho. Currently playing for Roma, Gervinho has also played for Arsenal as well as LOSC Lille. Gervinho is an energetic left-winger who won the Coupe De France and the Ligue 1 with Lille before transferring to Arsenal for a reported 10.8 Millon.

Gervinho

After two mediocre seasons with the Gunners, Gervinho left for Rome citing lack of playing time as a reason. Reunited with Rudi Garcia, Gervinho is now a transformed player who is on fire. He played a massive part in Roma’s fantastic start to the Serie A season.Gervinho usually plays on the left from where he cuts in onto his favoured right foot and shoots. He is a very direct player with bursts of pace that can take him past any man.

He has had experience playing for the national side, making his debut in 2008 and being part of the World Cup 2010 squad as well as the 2012 Africa Cup Of Nations squad in which he missed a penalty in the shoot out against Zambia as Ivory Coast lost in the finals. He certainly has a big role to play for the national team in the coming years.

SALOMON KALOU

Salomon Kalou in action

He might be 28, but Kalou has proven doubters wrong time and again as he once again has hit form with LOSC Lille after transferring from Chelsea. While at Chelsea, Salomon was an integral part of the side that won a Premier League, 4 FA Cups, The League Cup as well as the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Kalou won the Johan Cryuff Young Player of the year award as well as the most promising African talent of the year award.

Kalou is a versatile footballer who can play as a Centre Forward or Winger, often popping up with assists for teammates. He was frozen out of the Chelsea team by Villas-Boas but started both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals under Roberto Di Matteo and moved on when his contract expired in the summer. The fact that he was linked to European powerhouses like Arsenal, Liverpool, Galatasaray and Schalke 04 is testament to his abilities. Salomon has been an integral part of the national set-up since 2008.

CHEICK TIOTE

Cheick Tiote

The 27 year old Tiote is a no-nonsense defensive midfielder with a penchant for making crunching tackles. The Newcastle man is prone to errors sometimes, such as stupid tackles that often result in suspensions. The fact that after 50 games for Newcastle, Tiote had 25 yellow cards is testament to his hot temper. However, he provides stability to every midfield he plays in allowing his more creative and subtle partner (Yohan Cabaye for example) to attack freely because he’s there to cover for them.

He won the Newcastle United Player of the Year award in 2011. His club honours include the Belgian League and the Belgian supercup with Anderlecht as well as the Ersdivise and KNVB Supercup with FC Twente. He has been a regular feature of the national team since 2010.

LACINA TRAORE

Lacina Traore

Another one of the fantastic attacking talents of Ivory Coast, the 6’8″ giant is currently on loan at Everton from AS Monaco. Formerly an Anzhi Makhachkala and Kuban Krasnodar player in Russia, Traore is known for you guessed it, his height and aerial ability. Lacina, just 23 has already won the Romanian League, Cup and Supercup. He scored on his debut for Everton before missing the game against Chelsea due to a hamstring problem that has ruled him out for a month.

Traore has played and scored in the UEFA Champions League for CFR Cluj whilst in Romania at the young age of 19, scoring a goal each against Roma and FC Basel. Lacina is also famous for his goal against Liverpool in the 2012-13UEFA Europa League which gave Anzhi a 1-0 victory. He is a bright talent and that was underlined when AS Monaco paid a reported 40Million dollars to Anzhi Makhachkala for his services.