The Ivory Coast national team manager Sabri Lamouchi has said that he feels that the national team should not waste the talents of the ‘Golden generation’ and should win the 2013 African cup of nations at all costs.
Due to the presence of players like Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré, the Ivory Coast national team has been regarded as one of the strongest teams in Africa for a number of years now, but they have not been able to translate that feeling into trophies. Even though they have gone on to numerous African cup of nations tournament as the favourites to win it, they have been failed to lift the trophy.
They came extremely close in the previous edition of the tournament after losing on penalties to minnows Zambia. Due to the fact that players like Didier Drogba are coming to the end of their career, the national team manager Lamouchi sees the 2013 African cup of nations as one final opportunity to lift the tournament. He has also said that Drogba and Touré should be considered as champions forever and not as players who failed to lift a major trophy with Ivory Coast. The nations last triumph in the competition came back in 1992.
“It’s true even though the team has everything it needs to do so. Somehow, it has been a waste, and if this generation were to never win anything, it would be a huge waste. So to win the Afcon is our ambition, and I know my players are capable of it. They must take ownership of this project. For some of them, this is probably their last chance to win this competition. I believe in this group,” said Lamouchi. The 2013 edition of the tournament starts in January. Drogba has already been training with his former club Chelsea in order to maintain his fitness.