Drogba injury tests depth of Ivory Coast squad

Ivory Coast squad

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium), Aristides Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya, Israel), Daniel Yeboah (Asec, Ivory Coast).

Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Hibernian, Scotland), Arthur Boka (VB Stuttgart, Germany), Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes, France), Guy Demel (Hamburg SV, Germany), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal, England), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic, England), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes, France), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, England).

Midfielders: Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco, France), Abdul Kader Keita (Galatasaray, Turkey), Emmanuel Kone (International Curtea Arges, Romania), Gervinho (Lille, France), Koffi N’Dri Romaric (Sevilla, Spain), Cheik Ismael Tiote (Twente Enschede, Holland), Yaya Toure (Barcelona, Spain), Didier Zokora (Sevilla, Spain).

Forwards: Aruna Dindane (Lekhwiya, Qatar), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys Berne), Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea, England).

After captain Didier Drogba’s broken elbow, the strength of the Elephants’ 23 man squad will be put under intense scrutiny.

Manager Sven Goran Eriksson named his final line-up ahead of the warm up match against Japan which resulted in Drogba’s injury. While Eriksson and the Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF) insist that the Elephants’ top scorer in qualifying is not yet out of the World Cup, attention has turned to the remaining 22 players who will be looking to emerge from their captain’s shadow.

Marseille’s Bakari Kone, a scorer for Ivory Coast at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, has been left out, leaving Kalou, Dindane and Doumbia to take up striking responsibilities. The Chelsea foward and Doumbia, who will sign for CSKA Moscow on July 1^st, will both offer pace and agility to the front line, while Dindane, who spend much of last season on loan at Portsmouth, is the closest player to Drogba in terms of strength and experience.

In midfield Eriksson has cut three players from the squad, with Emerse Fae, Traore Lacina and Gilles Yapi Yapo on their way home. The remaining 8 midfielders offer a mixture of youth and experience. Zokora, Keite and Yaya Toure have almost 200 caps between them, while Tiote, Kone and the attacking Gervinho (null, 23 and 22 years old respectively) are relatively new to the international stage. Playmaker Romaric appears after being expelled from the 2010 African Cup of Nations squad for undisclosed disciplinary reasons by then manager Vahid Halilhodzic.

Only two defenders from the original 30 man squad have failed to make the final list. Benjamin Brou Angoua and West Bromwich Albion’s Abdoulaye Meite have been excluded, leaving eight players all currently playing their domestic football in Europe. Hibernian’s Sol Bamba scored in Ivory Coast’s recent 2-2 friendly draw with Paraguay, while the Champions League experience of Eboue and Kolo Toure could be invaluable for a defence which will be under even more pressure if the goal scoring threat of Drogba is absent from the other end of the pitch.

In goal Eriksson has named Zogbo and Yeboah as cover for first choice Barry. With fellow ‘keeper Vincent Angban missing out, Yeboah is now the only player currently playing for an Ivorian team, ASEC Mimosas.

The final squad is an attacking blend of established players and emerging talent. Even without Drogba Ivory Coast have 3 strikers and 2 midfielders, Gervinho and Kone, who can play up front. The gap that will be left by their captain, however, is undeniable.

The FIF have released another statement regarding Drogba, announcing that “the surgical operation which was necessitated by his condition was performed with success. Professors Hertel and Gaillot, as well as the Elephants’ medical staff, are confident regarding the speedy recovery of the player.”

Ivory Coast kick off their World Cup campaign on June 15^th against Portugal, and a spokesman for the FIF told Press Association Sport that the Chelsea striker could make a surprise return for that game. “He’s not at all out of the World Cup,” he asserted. “He can still play. We don’t know if he will be able to play the first game, that depends on the verdict of the medical team. But he’s definitely not out [of the World Cup].”

Without Drogba, Ivory Coast still have a squad which will give Portugal, Brazil and North Korea much cause for concern. But Elephants fans will be desperately hoping that, rather than exposing their over-reliance on one player, his absence will allow the remaining players to shine.