Angola – time to back up and shine
Like every host nation’s dream, Angola’s wish will be to kick start the competition with three points in their bag at the end of proceedings.
However, how likely are they to defeat the Malians and therefore clinch a victory on Sunday?
Quick recent statistics and comparisons
Since coach Manuel Jose’s appointment back in May 2009, Angola have played ten matches and won only twice. The Black Antelopes’ average of goals per match doesn’t even hit one as they’ve netted only 8 times in as much as ten encounters.
The lack of scoring frequency has restricted Angola to too many draws, the last of which came on January 3rd in a friendly against the Gambia ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Angola’s statistics are far from being impressive but they are perhaps not worse than Mali’s.
After ending their qualification campaign with a 2-2 draw away to Ghana back in November, Mali had the opportunity to test their strengths and weakness with four friendly games.
The Eagles experienced mixed results but only one victory out these matches.
Lately, Mali went down1-0 against Egypt in the final preparation fixture ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Does it mean that The Eagles are not ready to enjoy a flying start to the campaign?
Angola coach Manuel Jose wants players to be fit
As the tournament’s hosts, Angola will try and build on extreme home support to see out the Malians on the opening day of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
If recent statistics from both sides somehow put Angola and Mali on an equal level, perhaps the same cannot be said on paper.
Being aware of the threat that Mali’s star trio (composed of Mahamadou Diarra, Frederic Kanoute, and Seidou Keita) are expected to pose, Angola’s coach Manuel Jose will want all of his players fit and ready for the challenge.
Winning has been rare for Angola under Manuel Jose so there’ll be pressure amid support to beat Mali on Sunday.
Captain Manucho, who scored in Angola’s 1-1 draw against the Gambia last weekend, could play the trick for the Black Antelopes again.
However, Manuel Jose has made it clear that the possible absence of striker Flavio and defensive midfielder Stelvio would be very much regrettable.
Stelvio received a knock last December in Angola’s defeat to Estonia while Flavio just sustained an injury against the Gambia earlier this month.
For Manuel Jose, it is a priority to have the likes of these two players available for Sunday’s 2010 Africa Cup of Nations opener.
The Portuguese coach stated:
“I really hope that Flavio recovers and becomes available to play against Mali. Flavio and Stelvio are important for our starting lineup.
“We don’t have any stars in our team so we need every player to be fit.”
Mali won't seat back in fear of Angola's home support
Stephen Keshi’s men have not shown much fire recently, with their 2-1 win over Iran in a friendly match last month being their only victory in their last five matches.
Now despite losing to Egypt in their last warm-up match on Monday, Mali are already looking forward to a bright tournament.
Coach Stephen Keshi avowed his dream of clinching the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations trophy in his statements made to the press.
Assessing Mali’s weaknesses and desire at the same time, he told BBC Sport:
“I know, we’re not among the favorites. But we are optimistic that this team can go as far as the final.
"You only need to look at the caliber of players in this team, the body language, attitude, and spirit…
“So I’m not totally ruling us out of the trophy. Our games here [friendly matches] have helped me look at various combinations.”
It actually takes seven matches and a win in the final one to clinch a trophy in a 16-team tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Eagles dare to dream big so Angola can expect Stephen Keshi’s Malians to play with the sole aim of upsetting the home crowd and get all three points to commence their adventure on a perfect tone.
The last time Angola and Mali met was in a friendly match back in February 2009 and The Eagles recorded a trouncing 4-0 victory to down the Black Antelopes.
Mali’s “body language, attitude, and spirit” could defeat the voices of Angola’s multitude of supporters on Sunday.
Players to watch and things to expect
Most people will expect a respectable score line and perhaps a draw is more likely to occure in the end. One man who might make the difference for Angola is Manucho. The striker was in flying form in the last edition of the tournament which took stage in Ghana.
Now that he is the captain of the Angolan national football team, there is no doubt that he'll try to inspire the squad in every manner - both physically as well as mentally.
But will his presence and his performance trouble Mali so much? The Eagles also possess the likes of Sevilla's striker and former African footballer of the year, Frederic Kanoute.
Whereas Mahamadou Diarra could build on his experience at Real Madrid to take hold of Angola's midfield, Kanoute could receive support and break through Angola's defensive line (who could miss the services of Stelvio).
Depending on both coaches' tactical approaches, the public could enjoy an open game. But cautious football might transform the game's excitement into nothing more than boredom.
In that case, only the luckiest will run away with the best result.
