Roma striker Gervinho is of the opinion that Ivory Coast are not second best to any of the teams at the FIFA World Cup 2014. Ivory Coast go into the tournament as one of the African representatives.
They have failed to win any major tournaments in the last two decades despite possessing the likes of Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré in the team. This is expected to be the final chance for the national team with a number of older players coming to the end of their careers. Ivory Coast have been handed a tough draw at the competition since they will be playing against Japan and Colombia in the group stages.
The other team in the group – Greece – are also considered as potential dark forces to qualify from the group. This has given all the teams the opportunity to think about progression to the knockout stages and Ivory Coast star Gervinho is of the same opinion. The former Arsenal forward moved to Roma in the summer after two years of frustration at the Emirates stadium. This year, however, has been brilliant for the striker, as he has been an important player in Rudi Garcia’s attempt to win the title with Roma.
They have challenged Juventus for most of the season and are looking like conceding defeat only now.
“Ivory Coast can play on par with any national side and will compete with any team we face at the World Cup. Several players in the squad are playing at the high-level teams so we have a great chance. Lamouchi is a very technical coach who knows how to manage his players well and knows how he wants us to play. Firstly, we want to get through the group stage and then try and get as far as possible,” said Gervinho.