Emerse Faé is preparing Ivory Coast for their round of 16 clash against Burkina Faso with quiet determination, focusing on methodical progress rather than hype.
The Ivorian coach has built a team around rigor, endurance, and high standards, ensuring that every detail contributes to a long-term vision for success at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
For Faé, qualification is a milestone, not a destination. Each match carries new challenges, and every victory increases responsibility.
He views comfort as an adversary and complacency as a trap. The Africa Cup of Nations demands vigilance, where outcomes can shift in moments, and Ivory Coast must approach each fixture with relentless focus.
Beyond results, Faé prioritises collective momentum. He emphasises maintaining rhythm, sustaining intensity, and avoiding lapses that could undermine performance.
The team’s identity remains central to his approach; consistent execution without sacrificing style ensures that Ivory Coast can compete effectively in tight, decisive moments. In Faé’s system, discipline and consistency become the foundation for success.
The squad’s depth plays a strategic role in Faé’s planning. He encourages internal competition to keep players engaged, assigning clear responsibilities and valuing every role.
This approach strengthens cohesion and prepares the team for pivotal moments, where substitutions or rotations can determine outcomes.
Management of personnel is as important as tactics in building a resilient and adaptable squad.
Being reigning African champions carries both prestige and expectation. Faé stresses that the title is not a refuge but a responsibility, and the team must live up to its legacy daily.
Pressure serves as motivation, reminding players of their place in history and the standard they must uphold.
The coach channels this into energy on the pitch, ensuring the squad remains focused and disciplined.
Faé’s Ivory Coast moves forward in measured silence, rejecting grandstanding in favour of preparation, conviction, and composure.
The real test begins when mistakes carry high stakes, and the team demonstrates its quality not through words but through performance.
Through careful planning and unwavering standards, Faé is crafting a side capable of challenging for the summit of African football.
