This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.
Given the calibre of players at their disposal, Ivory Coast, like all good teams, should be able to devise a coherent playing style that makes the most of its resources. Alas, at major tournaments over the last decade, the Elephants have had a tendency to appear sketchy. The World Cup in Brazil may be their best chance yet of making a big impression on the global stage and of fulfilling the ambition that the country has long nurtured of becoming the first African World Cup semi-finalists, at least.
According to Fifa’s rankings, Ivory Coast have been the best team in Africa over the last three years. They have been given a group from which progress is eminently possible, with games against Japan, Greece and Colombia, and the squad is full of players who have the experience of already playing in two World Cups. Their firepower is immense: with Yaya Touré, Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou and Wilfried Bony, they have five players who will arrive in Brazil on the back of excellent seasons in which they struck over 100 goals between them.
While every section of the squad is rich with experience, they are led by a manager, the former France international Sabri Lamouchi, who has never experienced a World Cup either as a player or a coach. Since the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and throughout the qualifiers, Lamouchi has switched between two formations, sometimes deploying a 4-4-2, more often using a 4-3-3 so as to field as many of his talented forwards as possible. In this formation, Gervinho tends to start on the left, Kalou on the right and Drogba at centre-forward behind a midfield of Touré, Basel’s Serey Die and Newcastle’s Cheick Tioté, the man with the responsibility for breaking up other team moves.
The centre of defence is likely to be highly experienced but of questionable mobility: Kolo Touré and Didier Zokora. The left-back is likely to be Arthur Boka, as it has been for most of the last decade, while Serge Aurier, the 21-year-old Toulouse right-back being heavily linked with Arsenal, seems certain to start on the right after a season in which he scored six goals for his clubs and added the same number of assists.
Picking the formation is the easy part: Lamouchi knows that if he is to convince the sceptical Ivorian supporters that he is the right man for the job, his team must play with enough focus and quality to make his plans work. Getting out of the group is the minimum requirement.
Who is the player who is going to surprise everyone at the World Cup?
Gervinho. He may have been a flop at Arsenal but the man with a suitably Brazilian-sounding nickname will arrive at the World Cup in dazzling form following his superb season with Roma. Explosive and penetrative, he can trouble any defence.
Who is the player who is going to disappoint the most?
It could be Didier Drogba, but it all depends on how the manager Sabri Lamouchi uses him. He should not start, but would be better if used as an impact substitute. His physical powers may be dwindling but his fierce pride means he will be determined to make his presence felt, as he did after coming on in the recent 2-2 friendly draw with Belgium.
What is the realistic aim for your team at the World Cup and why?
For once the draw has been kind to the Elephants but it is a pity that so many of the players are possibly just past their best. However, they still have potent firepower and could blast their way out of the group, but a dodgy defence will probably prevent them from going much further.
François Kouakou writes for the sports magazine Challenge