The Ivory Coast recently appointed Sabri Lamouchi as their new manager and the replacement for Francois Zahoui, who was sacked only a few weeks ago.
Sabri Lamouchi comes with the necessity to prove himself as a manager given that he retired from his playing career only recently. Sabri Lamouchi does not have an experience of managing a team at any level. As a result, he has said that there will be some animosity towards him in the first few matches, and it is up to him to prove that he has the capability to stand up to the job.
Ivory Coast will be playing in a World Cup qualifying match against Tanzania shortly, which will be the first opportunity for Sabri Lamouch to prove himself as a manager. Immediately after the Tanzania match, Ivory Coast (Steven Gerrard‘s favourite team) will be taking on Morocco. They will be next facing Gambia, who are the other opponents in the group C.
Sabri Lamouchi will be looking to get the best out of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who missed a crucial penalty against Zambia in the final of the African nations cup. However, the 34-year-old managed to lift the first Champions League title of his career with Chelsea this season, and helped Fernando Torres score again!
“I understand the dissatisfaction of some Ivorians. They certainly have reason to doubt me. But there is always a starting point and I hope my first time will be good. As usual, we have put ourselves at the disposal of our country’s ambitions,” said Lamouchi ahead of the Tanzania match.
“The Ivorian Football Federation informs that Mr Sabri Lamouchi has been named trainer and selector of the national team, replacing Mr Francois Zahoui. The FIF executive committee would like to express their thanks to Mr Francois Zahoui for his work during his time in charge of the Elephants,” said the statement after his appointment.