Ex Ivory Coast international, Salomon Kalou has come out to say that the country does not need a total overhaul for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, he’ll advise his country to not throw away all the good things in the team, when they can just make better the things the players are lacking.
Kalou added that Ivory Coast did some amazing things in the past Nations Cup, and few tweaks here and there can make the team great again.
His words, “We don’t have to throw away all the good things, but we can make better the things we were lacking.”
“There are some great things we did in the past cup. We lost against Egypt on penalties but Egypt, a very tough opponent with a good level, reached the final.”
“So let’s not question everything that we have done but work on what didn’t work.”
“We need to find a good coach, then this coach would create balance between old and young players.”
“We have to build a team, because to perform in this type of competition you need a team, one player can’t do everything. Without a good team, you just cannot win a tournament.”
On the teams his country is drawn against for AFCON qualifiers, “I think this is a way of preparing ourselves because we are not playing to qualify, we are playing to prepare a team.”
“It’s a challenge for the new coach coming in, he has to build a competitive team. As the host of the competition, we have to go all the way.”
“Once you are playing at home, you get extra motivation from the fans. It can be hard pressure but it’s also a positive one because when you play well you have the support of the whole country.”
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