It was not the start they were hoping for and Cote d’Ivoire coach Michel Dussuyer was quick to voice his displeasure after the defending African Nations Cup champions were held to a scrappy 0-0 draw by Togo in their Group C opener on Monday.
Sometimes you can be pleased by the performance, if not the result, but Frenchman Dussuyer was unable to find any positives as his side laboured to the draw.
“There was no quality and we lacked mobility,” he told reporters. “This was the main reason for our disappointment this evening. Throughout the match, it was not easy for us. This lack of opportunity was the lack of mobility and techniques that were lacking.”
He added that the late afternoon kick-off did not help his side either, though it is something they will have to get used to in the pool phase of the competition.
“It was very hot and we had no rhythm to destabilise Togo, who were well prepared. Our expectation is that we have to assert our game plan and we had no solution today.
“For them [Togo] to be so well organised, it complicated our strategy. My players were unable to make three passes. There was no collective action. We are not satisfied at all.”
On the other hand, the point was a big boost for Togo and their veteran coach Claude Le Roy, who believes they can take confidence into their next matches against Morocco and pool leaders DR Congo.
"I feel we made a good match and hats off to my players,” Le Roy, competing at his ninth Nations Cup tournament as a coach, said. “We qualified [for the tournament] at the last second in a country where there has been no league championship in three years.
“I feared this Cote d’Ivoire team. Yes, at times we nearly scored the goal that would have been wonderful. We tried to block [fullbacks Adama] Traoré and [Serge] Aurier. This match was played in a remarkable state of mind."
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The match was also significant for the performance of Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who has not played any club football for over six months since leaving English Premier League side Crystal Palace at the end of last season.
He put in an excellent showing though and Le Roy was delighted with his talisman.
“He was unbelievable physically. To do what he did today, he put in so much effort,” the coach said.
“He is coming back from nowhere, he takes the ball, gives a lot of solutions. He was not far from creating one opportunity. We worked so much together for more than two months, every morning he was with my assistant, who did a huge job with him.
“He is very important for us. He gives us a lot of confidence, and the opponents are always scared of him.”
