EMERSE FAE : AN ARCHITECT OF HOPE.
Emerse Gae has guided Cote D’Ivoire in crafting quite possibly one of the greatest tournament stories yet.
Here's a bit by bit breakdown of how Fae Engineered Cote D'Ivoire's fightback from a mental, tactical and game management perspective.⬇️
1. MEASURED HOPE.
Appointed as interim manager mid-tournament, Fae assumed responsibility for a team in a mental cess pit,one which he was part of.
1.1 Existing conditions when Fae took over. ⬇️
• 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, their biggest at home.
• Jean-Louis Gasset, the then manager was relieved of his duties.
• Reportedly, Hervé Renard was a popular choice for the managerial role but as it came to be, an agreement was not reached.
Fae's has been cautiously optimistic in re-assembling Cote D'Ivoire from the ashes.
1.1 Soaking in the group stage disappointment.
1.2 Retaining focus after beating Senegal and preparing for Mali.
1.3 Easing the pressure ahead of facing DR Congo in the semi-final.
1.4 Counting on change in mindset and continued progress ahead the final.
1.5 Emerse Fae on winning AFCON.
2. TACTICAL CHANGES.
2.1 Gasset's unbalanced defensive mentality.
Jean-Louis Gasset's out of possession organisation. ⬇️
• 4-3-3/4-5-1 defensive shape.
• A medium to high positioning in central defence , midfield and on the flanks.
• Passive pressing from opposition goal kicks.
Short comings.
• Low intensity in pressing actions.
• Poor distancing between central midfielders.
• Less defensive cover.
Gasset's approach was flawed even before the tournament but Cote D'Ivoire's quality in attack offset limitations in defence.
2.2 Emerse Fae's low risk defensive mentality.
Fae's adopted a low risk defensive mentality aimed at protecting space.
• 4-5-1/4-4-2 mid-block.
• Horizontal compactness.
• Intensity in pressing actions.
2.3 What changed ?
Fae's low risk defensive mentality minimized opposition threat.
• Compactness in midfield.
• Defensive overloads in wide areas.
• More defensive cover.
Cote D'Ivoire defended more as a unit and had fewer isolations. As a result, they conceded less high quality goal scoring chances.
3. GAME MANAGEMENT.
Emerse Fae's adapted well to the demands of each game as was evidenced by his squad selection and substitutions.
3.1 Introducing Jean Michael Seri.
The 32y/o Central Midfielder was an odd pick given the glaringly obvious quality Cote D'Ivoire already had in midfield .
Seri's value . ⬇️
• Dictating tempo.
• Protecting the ball.
• Creative passing.
He repaid Fae's trust with a MOTM performance against holders, Senegal and remained hugely important for the rest of the final.
3.2 Easing Adingra and Haller into the team.
•Haller and Adingra, the would be protagonists in the final set of games were well managed.
•Neither was fit at the beginning of the tournament and so Fae had to make do with his available attackers.
•Fae minimized the risk of placing them under the crucible of expectations on their return and had to wait until the perfect moment ( DR Congo )to introduce them in the starting eleven.
3.3 Shared leadership roles.
• Captain's are only but figure heads these days but are heavily scrutinized at national team level.
• Whether by design or simply circumstance, Emerse Fae had Aurier and Gradel wearing the armband on different occasions.
• The two were preferred ahead of Kessie who was captained and was heavily criticized during the group stage round but not so as he grew in confidence and optimized his performances.
Congratulations Emerse Fae. Congratulations Cote D’Ivoire.
