Several images stand out from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final in Bata.
Amidst the fatigue and the lethargy…and the soupy climate…there was the image of years of anguish wracked upon Gervinho’s posture as he couldn’t bear to look at the outworking penalty drama.
There was ‘hero for a day’ Boubacar Barry, the Forgotten Face of the Golden Generation, who ultimately scored the spotkick that guaranteed the Cote d’Ivoire’s first continental crown since 1992.
For me, personally, seeing Mohamed Aboutrika charming the CAF exec committee was something unforgettable.
The image that perhaps—and wrongly in my opinion—encapsulated Ghana’s run in Equatorial Guinea, and their final defeat, was Andre Ayew’s emotional reaction to the shootout loss.
He and Jordan have retained their youthful looks, and haven’t completely shaken the reputations of being the spoiled brats of African football. The sight of Andre bawling with despair was, I felt, an unwanted show-stealer from a very encouraging tournament for the Black Stars.
The two men who went to console Andre that day were his brother Jordan and, of course, Herve Renard, the Elephants’ coach.
Since the riches of Paris Saint-Germain changed the landscape of French football, the ‘chasing pack’ in the top flight are having to alter their methods, adapt their approach and think outside the box in order to succeed.
Olympique de Marseille employed the genius of Marcelo Bielsa, seeing tactical innovation and flexibility of approach as compensation for their lack of fiscal might.
Olympique Lyonnais have pushed youth to the fore and attempted to mount a title challenge using the (extensive) spoils of their academy.
Even Monaco—moneybags themselves—have modified their own method, axing some of the big earners in order to build a more sustainable, cost-effective approach to toppling Laurent Blanc’s record-breakers.
Lille, a fading force since they won the title in 2011, haemorrhaging the world-class players that raised that unlikely crown, needed their new manager—whoever replaced Rene Girard—to do a little of all three; to tactically outsmart the bigger dogs, to advocate the claims of youth, and to live without some of the big names.
The evidence from Equatorial Guinea suggests that Renard may be able to do all three.
Tactically, for example, he opted to compensate for the failings of a clownish defence by switching to the back three and using Kolo Toure as the organiser in the heart of his defensive trio.
Regarding personnel, he showed no hesitation in shuffling his pack—no fewer than eight of the World Cup squad were overlooked for the Cup of Nations, while several of the Afcon-winning squad—Wilfried Kanon, Eric Bailly, Cheick Doukoure, Junior Tallo and Roger Assale—only received their first cap during Renard’s watch.
The first two of that list—Kanon and Bailly (both 21 heading into the tournament)—demonstrate, alone, both Renard’s faith in youth and his ability to get the best out of raw talents.
Lille’s chiefs ought to be delighted!
During his brief spell with Sochaux, the former Cambridge United coach demonstrated a proclivity for signing players familiar to him from his work in the African continent, particularly his Afcon-winning Zambia side of 2012.
Stoppila Sunzu, Emmanuel Mayuka and Nathan Sinkala all joined Renard at the Stade Auguste Bonal, while the coach also acquired the coach also acquired Razak Boukari and brought Jordan Ayew to Montbeliard on a six-month loan deal from Marseille.
According to reports in France, Renard looks set to make the Black Stars hitman one of his first signings at his new club.
L’Equipe reported in the middle of May that the French coach is looking to attract Jordan to Rijsel.
The switch would be a smart one for both player and club.
Jordan only moved to FC Lorient from Marseille last summer, but he has done enough this campaign to demonstrate that he belongs at a side higher up the food chain in France, and certainly not one fighting near the relegation zone.
Last season, despite a month away for the Afcon, he still managed 31 appearances in all competitions and bagged 12 goals. It’s a decent return, considering Les Merlus’ struggles, and it’s telling that only one player in the bottom half of the table scored more than the Black Star.
He’s not the finished article by any means. As I wrote in a recent season review of the player: “he can still go missing in games, doesn’t always work as hard as a lone frontman should and his shots-per-goal ratio isn’t yet top class (only one player, 19-goal Zlatan Ibrahimovic, averaged more shots-per-game than Jordan).â€
By contrast, Lille struggled in offensive areas.
Their top-scorer, Nolan Roux, is an effective ‘traditional English centre-forward’ on his day, but managed three fewer goals and two fewer assists than Jordan.
Their second-top scorer, Divock Origi, managed eight goals in 33 matches, and went 21 matches without a goal before ending his barren streak with a hat-trick against Stade Rennais.
Origi may be a better prospect than Jordan, but he is set to leave for Liverpool, and I’d personally back the Black Star to comfortably better the Belgian’s tally of eight at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy next season.
One reason for my optimism is the promise of a Renard/Jordan reunion.
Sometimes, the guidance of an invested and sympathetic party can transform the fortunes of a player who has struggled to go to that next level. There are few people in the football world who appear more invested in Jordan’s future, and more convinced of his quality than Renard.
A reunion between the two men might be, as the cliché goes, a match made in heaven.
By Ed Dove, Goal.comÂ