Here at Lovely Left Foot we’re getting all excited about the African Cup of Nations, so we thought we’d stake what little is left of our reputations and make a few predictions. Each of the guys who will be bringing you minute-by-minute coverage of the tournament have contributed, so make sure you come back when it’s all finished to laugh at how wrong we were.

Player to Watch

Andrew Harding - I’m going to say Salomon Kalou. He has become a bit-part player at Chelsea and he really needs to get some consistency in his game otherwise he’ll become another “What If?” story. A good showing at this tournament will either push him into the reckoning at Stamford Bridge or at least reignite interest from elsewhere.

David Chalmers - André Ayew. The Marseille forward is an entertaining player and I look forward to seeing more of him! Young, quick, and I’m pretty sure he is left-footed which would make it all the better.

Gary Linton - Without a shadow of a doubt, the player I’m most looking forward to see is this young winger, with Kevin-Prince Boateng being left out of the squad it’s a big chance for the young André Ayew, who will be playing alongside his older brother. Playing with Marseille in Ligue 1 he’s been in fine form, as have the club. Unbeaten in nine games, Ayew has scored six goals already so far this season, a very big tournament for the young man.

Ryan Keaney - Moussa Sow. Senegal have almost got too many strikers playing well right now that someone will get left out. And if Senegal don’t achieve what they can, it’ll be because one of their four strikers didn’t play enough. Between Mamadou Niang, Newcastle pairing Papa Cisse and Demba Ba and Lille’s Moussa Sow there is plenty of fire power. Sow is set to leave for Turkish side Fenerbache after the tournament and can use it to prove he is a better striker than people give him credit. His finishing has been questioned time and time again, but with the right opportunities and decent service he’ll be hard to stop.

Simon McPolin - Seydou Doumbia. If Cherno Samba is anything to go by, I might be making a big mistake by basing my player to watch prediction on how a player performs for me on Football Manager, but Doumbia has the real life stats to back up his attributes on the popular management sim. 50 league goals in 64 league games for Young Boys in Switzerland prompted CSKA Moscow to break their transfer record and they have been rewarded with an impressive 29 goals in 41 games for the club. He’ll be desperate to add to his 1 goal in his 14 caps for Côte d’Ivoire and AfCon is the perfect stage.

 

Team to Watch

AH - Burkina Faso. They qualified from a weakened group and their qualification for the finals itself was called into question following Namibia’s complaint over the fielding of an ineligible player. They should be unsettled but moments like that can often bring out the best in a team and this is not a team devoid of talent. They find themselves in a very difficult group but if they can advance from it, they could surprise many.

DC - Senegal. I don’t know why, I just have a feeling they’re going to do well, it’s been 10 years since that win over France, and no longer is El-Hadji Diouf there to spoil the fun.  Newcastle strikers Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse have goals and all they need is the service to propel them to great things.

GL - Morocco. In group C alongside Niger, Gabon and the team they fell to in the 2004 final Tunisia, Morocco for me could just be a little surprise package. Sitting at 9/1 with some bookmakers, in recent tournaments, 2004 aside, they’ve not done so well. This year it seems a little different, with the likes of Adel Taarabt, Marouane Chamakh, Houssine Kharja, and Youssouf Hadji. The first two players, to followers of the Premier league, might gain a chuckle or two but it may just be the tournament these two need to reignite themselves or in other words earn their move in the summer. Captain Kharja always gives 100% for his national side and with the likes of Hadji you’ve the mixture of his experience within the squad as well as the youthful talents. Semi- final at least!

RK - Gabon. I’m a sucker for a host nation. Gabon are arguably the better of the two teams that will play host to the Cup of Nations so I’m plumming for them to go further than they really should. They are a realistic shout to top their group and with a feverish home support behind them in the knock-out stages, a surprise is on the card. Oh yes, I’m full of cliches with this one. If Saint-Etinne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has a decent tournament, they could be just fine.

SM - Senegal. It’s pretty scary to think that this year is the ten year anniversary of Senegal’s momentous win over World Cup holders France in the 2002 World Cup Finals, that team and their Quarter Final showing had so much potential, potential that they have never really lived up to. With that in mind and the fact they failed to qualify for the 2010 AfCon competition you might consider me picking them as my Team to Watch a little strange, however, any team who can boast three of Europe’s most in form strikers, in Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé and Moussa Sow, has the ability to mix it with the big boys and whilst they might be shakey defencively, their goal-scoring potential might see them enjoy an exciting tournament.

 

Most Exciting Match

AH - There are a wealth of potential prospects in the latter rounds that could throw up hugely exciting matches but I think Guinea’s game against Mali in the group stage could be a crowd pleaser.

DC - Ghana vs. Cote D’Ivore – Let’s be honest, we’re all generally more fans of the mainstream football and this match would contain a lot of very good players.  If both teams were to go at it, it could be a fantastic match. Annan and Muntari vs. Tiote and Yaya. Gyan vs. Drogba.  Mensah vs. Toure.  It just has star quality written all over it.

GL - Ghana vs. Ivory Coast (in the final please). I remember the third place play off with those two in 2008, Ghana went one up early doors with a Muntari goal. Within the following twenty minutes they were 2-1 down going into half time. Second half and Ghana just could not break down Ivory Coast and it wasn’t because they didn’t try. When everyone thought Ivory Coast had it in the bag leading 2-1 with only twenty minutes to go, Ghana looked to put it into injury time with a goal from Quincy James Owusu-Abeyie. What was about to happen in the last ten minutes was, well just incredible. Junior Agogo scoring in the eightieth minute followed by the game being ended with a strike from Haminu Draman with six minutes to go. A fantastic turn around and one match I’d love to see happen again. This time, I’d look to get money on in-play!

RK - Senegal versus Ghana (semi finals). The “people’s team” of the 2010 World Cup against the team with the strongest line-up of strikers. The game should promise to be the most engaging of the tournament – with both teams desperate for a place against probably Ivory Coast waiting in the final. It, of course, will end up being a damp squib featuring neither of the expected winners of Group A and D but one can hope some of the competition goes to plan.

SM - Ghana v Mali (28.01.12). With the likes of Asamoah, Gyan and Ayew in their side Ghana will be an awful lot of people’s pre-tournament favourites and I expect them to go far in the competition. However, Mali have a far more capable side than some people might expect, the likes of Keita, Coulibaly and Diabaté will be out to prove that they can match their more illustrious opponents and with both sides fighting to avoid second place and a draw against the winners of Group C this could be a really interesting and hopefully exciting contest.

 

Player of the Tournament

AH - Ghana’s Andre Ayew. His creative talents will be a vital ingredient of what looks an excellent Ghana side.

DC - Yaya Toure – I’ve seen this man in the flesh and I have no doubts he is the best player in the tournament.  Whether he performs best remains to be seen depending on where he is utilised.  His form for Manchester City, and with no better chance for Cote D’Ivoire to win it, he will want to be at his best.

GL - I feel I would have answered this differently if I hadn’t seen Manchester City without him, but for me the most influential player and the one who most likely will get player of the tournament is Ivory Coast star Yaya Toure. BBC African Footballer of the year, he’s going to be an important part of Ivory Coast’s side if they’re to try and set out to win the tournament that they haven’t managed to win since 1992. So far this season for Manchester City, he’s been one of their top three players and also contributed with the goals scoring three and setting up four. One who can have the tournament of his life, if everything clicks the right way.

RK - Asamoah Gyan to lead his nation to glory, pick up the top scorer award and be named player of the tournament? Oh go on then. The striker has came in for a lot of slack recently due to his move away from Sunderland in August but I’m back him to come good. He’s not playing weekly against the kind of opposition he might in the Premier League but that won’t matter once the tournament kicks off. He’ll run until he can’t run another step for his country and it’ll be a fantastic team to see him lift the trophy following his agonising penalty miss against Uruguay in South Africa. He deserves it.

SM - Seydou Doumbia. Not to repeat myself, but I expect him to have a big tournament and afterwards I expect everyone and their mother to start chasing his signature and fans from all around Europe to talk about him as if they’ve followed his entire career, meanwhile, I’ll sit back and continue to regret selling him to Atletico Madrid on my FM save.

 

Tournament Winner

AH - Ghana. They possess pretty much everything not just to be African champions but to make a real statement on the global stage. The team would appear to be coming to the point where their definite potential must turn into proven talent.

DC - Ghana. If they get the cogs working right, they could be a truly well-oiled machine.  Lacking the experienced Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien but the likes of Ayew and Anthony Annan are exciting young players, not to mention the controversial Asamoah Gyan, devastating when on-form.  I think Cote D’ivoire might just bottle it again, and the Black Stars could capitalise on that.

GL - I was going to go with the 6/4 favourites and say Ivory Coast, but then I saw Senegal’s team sheet and thought to myself, why not. Then I saw the odds of 11/2 with the bookies. They have a squad with the likes of high scoring and high flying Demba Ba his new strike partner at St James Park, Papiss Demba Cisse, also in the squad are Lille’s Moussa Sow and ex Marseille striker Mamadou Niang. It seems they have no trouble scoring the goals. Defence may be a problem you say, well they’re more than capable at the back with Marseille’s centre back Souleymane Diawara along with Senegal’s vice-captain and Brest defender Omar Daf. It may be a little outsider and the truth may be that Ivory Coast run away with the tournament but you can’t ignore a team with such talent.

RK - Ghana. The experience gained by the squad at the World Cup will stand them in very good stead; especially when you realise that the last World Cup was played in the same continent. The overwhelming pressure and expectation is on the Côte d’Ivoire. Ghana are far from forgotten about, but they will have a much easier time in terms of press attention. Even so, their squad is littered with very capable players. Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Ayew, Sulley Muntari and Andre Ayew are all potential match winners. At the back, John Mensah marshalls a pretty solid defence.

SM - If the Ivory Coast win Group B they’ll face the runner up of Group A, which should be a relatively straightforward contest, providing Senegal win Group A. If they progress to the Semis they’ll be up against, in my opinion, one of Mali, Tunisia or Morocco, and Drogba et all are more than capable of beating any of those sides, so a Final place awaits. Who they meet in the final might affect their chances, but it’s high time a team like the Ivory Coast, with the players they have at their disposal, delivered.

So there you have it, predictions from the LLF team behind the tournament. Now sit back and watch to see just how far wide of the mark they prove to be. If you disagree with the predictions, feel free to tell us so by leaving a comment below.

Graphic credit: David Chalmers

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