The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa has been a closely contested tournament with many draws and very few goals – the opening match between Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde was a case in point.
The high-energy games, the frantic, hurried style and the pure athleticism on show are wonderful to watch, but the opening 13 matches have done nothing to dispel one of Africa’s greatest footballing problems: The continent struggles to produce much other than midfielders and central strikers in abundance.
Peruse the rosters of the three favoured nations to lift the crown, and you’ll see severe strength of depth in the midfield and a dash of quality up front but not much else.
Ghana struggle to get everyone into their midfield and end up doing what Antonio Conte does in Turin—sticking Asamoah at left-back. He becomes Ghana’s star defender, but he’s not really a defender and his box-to-box explosiveness is wasted.
Ivory Coast have a luxury of central options with their striking dilemma in particular the envy of most, while Nigeria also house a host of forward stars.
Shifting focus away from the top nations, you’ll find that individual stars such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Alain Traore, Katlego Mphela, Manucho and Seydou Keita are all central players.
The result is a series of teams focused on forcing the ball through the middle of the pitch, which also gives way to the rise of some impressive athletes entering the European game. – bleacherreport
