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African Cup of Nations 2010: Mali Team Guide

Mali suffer from one of the most common problems in international football; the sum of the total simply doesn’t seem to equal the parts. Able to call on the explosive striking power of Fredi Kanoute and midfield powerhouses Mahamadou Diarra and Seydou Keita, Mali should be match for anyone on the African continent. It simply hasn’t worked out that way, with qualification for the 2010 African Cup of Nations far from straight-forward.

Until relatively recently Malian football had largely gone unnoticed, as the side known as The Eagles played in relative obscurity in West Africa. They didn’t even bother attempting to qualify for a World Cup until 2000 and saved their best form for either the African Cup of Nations or Cabral Cup, a regional tournament played also on a bi-annual basis, which they’ve won on several occasions, most recently in 2007.

Flexing their muscle

However, with the like of Mahamadou Diarra, Seydou Keita and Fredi Kanoute all coming through the European scene simultaneously, Mali suddenly found itself with its most talented generation of footballers since the late-seventies, when they finished second in the 1972 African Cup of Nations.

The arrival of the like of Keita and Diarra couldn’t have been better timed, as it also coincided with the 2002 hosting of the African Cup of Nations, a tournament during which they reached the semi-finals, their best ever performance since the epic run to the final some 30-years previously. The addition of Fredi Kanoute to the side when FIFA relaxed its rules regarding eligibility at senior level, should have been the final piece needed to launch Mali to the very highest echelon of African football, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Pressure point

Since 2002 they have managed another fourth place in 2004, but subsequent results have been largely a let-down, as Mali failed to trouble the top spot for qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finishing way-off the pace set by Togo and Nigeria in their group. Local frustration eventually boiled over at the side’s inability to make the most of the evident potential contained within the squad when riots broke out in March 2005 after a 1-2 home loss to eventual group-winners Togo. That reverse ruled them out of even making it to the 2006 African Cup of Nations, and it proved too much for fans of the Eagles to endure.

Form has picked up since then, and Mali considered themselves unfortunate to end up in the dreaded Group of Death at the 2008 African Cup of Nations, when they were placed alongside Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. In the end they matched Nigeria in terms of points, but a heavy defeat to the Ivory Coast in the final match and a slenderer margin of victory over last placed Benin saw Nigeria squeeze through thanks to their superior goal difference.

Further improvement has occurred in qualification for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, which also doubled up as World Cup qualifying, despite the slightly lacklustre third place finish in the second phase group behind Benin and Ghana. Nevertheless away-day defeats in the first round of qualifying to the Congo and Sudan, and draws away to Benin and Sudan in the second phase, indicate there is still much to be done before Mali can be considered genuine threats to the supremacy of the like of Egypt and the Ivory Coast.

Squad

Goalkeepers � Mahmadou Sidibe (Omonia Nicosia), Soumbelia Diakite (Stade Malien), Oumar Sissoko (Metz)

Defenders � Ousmane Berthe (Jomo Cosmos), Adama Tamboura (Helsingborgs), Souleymane Diamoutene (Bari), Bakary Soumare (Boulogne), Abdoulaye Maiga (Stade Malien)

Midfielders � Soumba Sow (Lens), Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid), Seydou Keita (Barcelona), Abdou Traore (Bordeaux), Bakaye Traore (Nancy), Mahmane El Hadji Traore (Nice), Mohamed Sissoko (Juventus), Lassana Fane (Al-Merreikh)

Attackers � Tenema N’Diaye (Nantes), Mamadou Diallo (Le Havre), Mamadou Bagayoko (Nantes), Modibo Maiga (Le Mans), Mamadou Samassa (Valenciennes), Fredi Kanoute (Sevilla), Mustapha Yatabare (Clermont Foot)

Players to Watch

Mali’s strength at the 2010 African Cup of Nations will undoubtedly lie in midfield where they can call on several talented individuals. Arguably the strongest of several outstanding players is Barcelona’s Seydou Keita. The former Sevilla midfielder arrived at the Camp Nou some 18 months ago as a mainly defensive thinking midfield-holder, but has blossomed this season into an all-round player contributing several important goals, mainly from long-range. Mali will certainly be relying on Keita to link the midfield to the attack, to get the best out of Fredi Kanoute, who is likely to be the main danger in the attack.

In defence, Mali have only called up five recognised defenders, and one who is likely to have an important job to do will be Souleymane Diamoutene. The centre-back has spent his entire career in Italy since arriving at the age of 16 when he arrived at the famed Udinese Academy. He has since developed into an outstanding defender, and is currently on loan to Bari, who are flying high in Serie A on their return to Italy’s top-flight. Diamoutene had an excellent game in Bari’s 3-1 win over Juventus last December, and if he continues in that vein in Angola, Mali will prove tough opposition to break down.

Fixtures

10th Jan � Angola

14th Jan � Algeria

18th Jan � Malawi

Prediction

Drawn into Group A, arguably one of the weakest of the four pools, Mali would at first glance appear to be the strongest team of the section. However, they will face their toughest two games first, including in the first game of the 2010 African Cup of Nations the fired-up hosts of the tournament Angola. Therefore they may need a final match-day win against Malawi to assure themselves of a position in the quarter-finals, which given their erratic form is by no-means a foregone conclusion. Precisely how far Mali can go remains a subject of debate; if they can find their best game they will be match for any side at the tournament, but if they fail to perform they may find themselves frozen out of the knock-out stage altogether.

Posted by Walter Townsend on Monday, 4th January 2010

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