Sabri Lamouchi, the coach of Ivory Coast, is gearing up for the upcoming match against Gambia in the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Despite the criticism for omitting Didier Drogba from the squad, Lamouchi defends his decision and emphasizes the need to change the team’s mindset.
Lamouchi states, “We are by far the best team in Africa, but we still haven’t won anything. Being the best African nation brings nothing. We didn’t see the team play like we saw it train. They must want to hurt themselves. We need to change the mindset of the team.”
Ivory Coast currently leads Group C with 4 points, followed by Tanzania (3 pts), Morocco (2 pts), and Gambia (1 pt).
The Ivory Coast selection for the match includes:
Goalkeepers:
- Copa Barry (Lokeren, Belgium)
- Sylvain Gbohouo (Séwé Sport)
- Ali Badra Sangaré (Ivoire Sport Académie)
- Abdoul Karim Cissé (Africa Sports)
Defenders:
- Souleman Bamba (Trabzonspor, Turkey)
- Arthur Boka (Stuttgart, Germany)
- Kolo Touré (Manchester City, England)
- Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey)
- Ismaël Traoré (Brest, France)
- Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes, France)
- Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (Toulouse, France)
Midfielders:
- Max-Alain Gradel (AS St-Etienne, France)
- Cheik Ismaël Tioté (Newcastle, England)
- Abdul Razak (Charlton AC, England)
- Yaya Touré (Manchester City, England)
- Losseni Karaboué (Nancy, France)
- Giovanni Sio (Sochaux, France)
- Emmanuel Kouamatien Koné (Sedan, France)
- Didier Ya Konan (Hanover 96, Germany)
- Geoffrey Serey Die (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Forwards:
- Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands)
- Arouna Koné (Wigan, England)
- Lacina Traoré (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia)
- Gervinho (Arsenal, England)
- Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow, Russia)
- Kévin Zougoula (Séwé Sport)
- Gérard Gohou Bi Goua (Kayseri Erciyesspor, Turkey)
The match against Gambia is crucial for Ivory Coast as they aim to secure their position at the top of the group.
