Jean-Louis Gasset guide of Ivory Coast facing pressure from an entire people

After three editions without reaching the final four, the selection led by the French septuagenarian will have to succeed in dominating the emotional dimension of this African Cup, which begins on Saturday on its land.

The country has been waiting for this moment for 10 years. Initially designated in 2014 as host of the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire will finally begin to vibrate, Saturday January 13, with the opening match of the tournament, pitting its Elephants against the modest Guinea-Bissau. All after two postponements, for organizational and weather reasons which only increased the pressure around the selection, pushed by 27 million Ivorians.

At the head of the team, Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset (70 years old). Appointed coach in May 2022 following three successful maintenance operations in Ligue 1 with Montpellier, Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux, the illustrious deputy of Laurent Blanc, notably with the Blues (between 2010 and 2012) is expected around the corner. “When you organize such a competition, the whole nation is mobilized. With Côte d’Ivoire, you cannot hope for less than a place in the last four, assures Patrice Beaumelle, Gasset’s predecessor on the Ivorian bench, who now officiates at MC Algiers. Already during my first visit to the Elephants [en tant qu’adjoint d’Hervé Renard de 2014 à 2015], it was a great pride for these people to know that they were going to host the biggest African event. That’s all people were talking about.”

Nine years of frustration to release

“Today the expectations are enormous around the coachconfirms Choilio Diomandé, publication director of the magazine Abidjan Sports. Since the coronation at CAN 2015, there has been nothing. However, the Ivorians tell themselves that there are better things to do with all the breeding ground we have.” he assures, referring to the three African Cups without reaching the quarter-final stage and the two missed World Cups. On paper, the pachyderms indeed have a squad of great talents. In addition to Dortmund’s scorer, Sébastien Haller, who returned in time from an ankle injury, and ex-Barcelona player Franck Kessié in the middle, many well-known Ligue 1 players make up the list of 27 players called up: Serge Aurier, Nicolas Pépé, Jérémie Boga and Seko Fofana.

But if Côte d’Ivoire is the favorite of Group A (which includes Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau), it does not particularly stand out when assessing the numerous candidates for final victory. Blame it on the multiple criticisms that punctuated the start of Jean-Louis Gasset’s mandate. “When he arrived, there was a lot of debate about his qualities and his advanced age. It is only very recently that views have started to changedetails the Ivorian journalist, emphasizing the two friendly matches in October, where the Elephants held Morocco (1-1) and South Africa (1-1) in check. The fact of catching a semi-finalist of the World Cup in a reference match has positively changed the image of Gasset among the people.”

The turning point came last summer after a scathing setback in Zambia (3-0), which led the Héraultais to reshape its defense by attracting three new players, quickly installed in the eleven: Ousmane Diomandé (Sporting) and Evan Ndicka (Roma) in the hinge, as well as the young Angers goalkeeper Yahia Fofana. Since their debut, the Elephants have conceded half as many goals on average. “We saw it again during the last friendly match against Sierra Leone [victoire 5-1, samedi] when Gasset carried out a squad review at half-time. Without them, the defense was on the street and guilty of many mistakes.”underlines the journalist.

Gasset, leader of men

If he now seems to have found the right formula on the ground, the big challenge for Jean-Louis Gasset will nevertheless be to find the springs to “allow your group to sublimate itself” by positively using popular pressure, “a bit like France 1998”, according to Patrice Beaumelle. “We must manage to create a bubble around the selection, succeed during the matches in taking advantage of support which promises to be enormous for the Elephants at home, then quickly return to isolation so as not to waste too much energy there.“, he believes as a connoisseur, with his seven participations in the CAN, for two titles with Zambia and the Ivory Coast when he was assistant.

“In Africa, this human component is essential to get to the end, continues Patrice Beaumelle. At each tournament, you create a bond, a story with your group. It’s a matter of sharing, of authenticity. There is a closeness that you don’t often find in Europe, where everything is more sanitized. Jean-Louis Gasset will necessarily have to do something human”. A mode of operation which should stick to the one who is often presented as the tactical genius who whispered in the ear of Laurent Blanc, to the point that Zlatan Ibrahimovic describes him as “a truly fantastic guy” during his PSG years.

“There aren’t many people like him in football anymore. When he arrived in Bordeaux, he tried to know the men before knowing the footballers. He always finds the right words, even when you are less good, to give you confidence again”testified on TF1 Matthieu Chalmé, who worked alongside him during the season of the Girondins’ last title in 2009. Enough to give hope to the whole of Ivory Coast, which dreams that the coach remains in the memory of the Elephants.