Servus Syndicate Members,
What’s been so great about the opening African Round? Apart from the colorful fans, the fast-paced action, the crazy names/calls, and all the surprises, how about NO VAR?!
Football fans actually get to watch matches without six instant replay interruptions. So refreshing. It’s as if someone brought back “football classic”.
Bad calls happen, but we do this novel thing; we keep playing. The teams that keep playing tend to win. Africa’s basically doing it right with the VAR. Don't use it in the group stages! Bring it out for the elimination matches in order to obviate serious controversies. You can have a few suspect calls in the group phase if it helps the more deserving sides win. As I remarked all the way back in the Day One recap, some subjectivity must be preserved.
Bookie is pleased to report that, after today’s action, Benin’s Mickael Pote leads the race for the Golden Boot. Yes, you read that correctly. Never know quite what to expect in Africa. That’s why we love it. A highly entertaining first round, but I must say if we’re going to do this in the Summer again, we should probably schedule more night games.
Fuck it’s hot in Egypt, though nothing is looking as hot as your friendly bookie’s selected favorites. The Senegalese Lions owned the first round. A Summer of Aliou Cisse “Victory Fists” indeed.
Could have used any number of colorful characters to serve as guest this evening, but I just wanted to post that picture again.
Roar on, Lions. Let’s do Round Two.
Wednesday, June 26th
Nigeria vs. Guinea
vs. 
A great matchup to get the second round started. The Super Eagles certainly deserved a victory against the upstart Burundians. Odion Ighalo WAS indeed offside when Aina set him up with that magnificent backheel, but who cares? “Modern slo-mo football” would have robbed us of that gem over a borderline call.
Bookie finds himself impressed with the the Nigerian fullback deployment. Though I was admittedly skeptical when I saw that Trost-Ekong had been moved out wide, I must admit it works rather well. A nice sort of elastic arc that patiently seeks out its chances. That being said, there were tons of wasted chances from the Super Eagles. We’ll need to see much, much better from the attack. Iwobi, Ola Aina and Musa are a little too central. Sunday Mba’s miss made me wince. Ola Aina’s set-up later made up for it.
Chukuwueze had some impressive runs, but still must yield to Samuel Kalu, who had some indeterminate problems with fitness in the team’s training session. Paul Onuachu is one big dude, but he has no business being the lead striker.
With respect to the National Elephants, I mostly liked what I saw from Traore and Diawara in possession. A very nice rhythm to the Guinean advance. Brilliant stuff from Sory Kaba and some intriguing tactical shifts toward the end too.
Bookie sees this one ending in a hard fought draw.
THE LINE: Pick em’
Uganda vs. Zimbabwe
vs. 
How about them Cranes? The Ugandans actually very good on set pieces and were disciplined in control at the back. Desabre clearly prepared them well on the training pitch. Virtually none of us oddsmakers thought a manager with zero experience on a national side could hope to groom a squad. Turned out we were totally wrong.
He actually does have five years of experience of coaching at the African club level. Herve Renard had never trained a national side prior to all the amazing work he did with the Zambian program. Maybe we’re witnessing the emergence of another great African coach.
Both of these teams did rather well in possession in the first round. The Cranes expertly held on to the ball to keep their heavily favored opponents out of the match. The warriors weren’t half bad either in their debut against the hosts, looking very organized on the occasions when they were able to stifle the Egyptian press.
Bookie remains a little concerned over Zimbabwe’s loss of their first-choice keeper in the opening match, but we’ll still roll with them here. They have far better offensive weapons. Momentum says Uganda, but momentum is notoriously ephemeral in this tournament.
THE LINE: Zimbabwe +1 Goal
Egypt vs. Congo DR
vs. 
Nothing but feeble crap from the Congolese stars in the opening round upset. Horrible finishing, amateurish giveaways, and genuinely laughable attempts to link up with the wide players laterally. Perhaps they really can’t do it without Diemerci Mbokani. Florent Ibenge has so many talented players in his kader and Bolingi did help them get some nice deliveries late on. constantly missing the wide player.
It matters not. Their tournament is essentially over. Bookie finds this sad as he’s always liked Ibenge and the Leopards. The hosts will beat them here, even though they technically don’t have the better team. On the topic of the hosts, let’s take a more in-depth peek at them.
S.S.S. Tactical Breakdown Lineup—Egypt—PROJECTED (4-4-2) (6/19/2019)
Marwan Mohsen Mohamed Salah
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Mahmoud Hassan Ahmed Hassan
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Mohamed Elneny Abdallah El Said
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Ayman Ashraf A. E. Mohamady
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Ahmed Hegazy Omar Gaber
|
Ahmed El Shenawy
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Lineup—Egypt—Match One (4-1-4-1) (6/21/2019)
Mohamed Salah
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Marwan Mohsen Ahmed Hassan
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Tarek Hamed Abdallah Al-Said
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Mahmoud Alaa M. Elneny A. E. Mohamady
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Ahmed Hegazy Ayman Ashraf
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Mohammed El Shenawy
|
Well, we’re certainly not disguising anything. Mohamed Elneny is the key player here. He steps forward to drive the attack whilst the other players hunt pockets of space to further along for Salah. Some surprises as Salah usually does better as a winger and the “other” El Shenawy takes over at keeper.
Aguirre may have some tweaks to make yet, but this looks to be his system. We’ll grade it “passable” for now and predict a “passable” win.
THE LINE: Egypt +1 Goal
Thursday, June 27th
Madagascar vs. Burundi
vs. 
An excellent offering here between two overachieving tournament debutantes.
Burundian Cedric Amissi looks to be a very talented player. Very much enjoyed watching him. At the age of 28, it’s unlikely that he’ll land a big club contract, but he plays as if he’s hunting one. That was some power from Gaël Bigirimana. Bookie rues missing out on him in the Socttish Premiership. Does anyone know on what channel one can even watch that league?
Fistul Abdul Razak and the rest of the crew surely played above their level, as did Anicet Abel and his “Barea Horn Brethren." The Malagasy have already tallied twice in a tournament throughout which the bookie honestly never expected them to find the back of the net.
Tempted to presage a draw here, but one must take into account that both teams will surely take loads of risks. Someone gets caught later. We’ll predict it's the Islanders by virtue of their shaky-looking defense.
THE LINE: Burundi +1 Goal
Senegal vs. Algeria
vs. 
If you happened to miss the debut of Aliou Cisse’s Teranga Lions, you missed out on the most dominant victory of the tournament. Damn they looked fucking beastly. No mercy or quarter was shown to the poor Tanzanians. N’Diaye kept serving up Ismaila Sarr and M’Baye Niang with chance after chance. Cheikhou Kouyate and Sada Thioub got into the act as well once they were subbed one.
Krepin Diatta…good lord. What a thunderbolt from the 20-year-old. Definitely the goal of the first round. Scouts will take notice. Bookie has already taken notice. That’s why they’re my selected favorites for this tournament, gentlemen. If anything, this red hot pick got even hotter.
Have yourselves a looksie
S.S.S. Tactical Breakdown Lineup—Senegal—PROJECTED (4-3-3) (6/19/2019)
Sadio Mane M’Baye Niang Keita Balde
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Idrissa Gueye Cheikhou Kouyate
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Alfred N’Diaye
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Moussa Wague Youssouf Sabaly
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Salif Sane Kalidou Koulibaly
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Abdoulaye Diallo
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Lineup—Senegal—Match One (4-4-2) (6/23/2019)
Ismaila Sarr Keita Balde
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M’Baye Niang Krepin Diatta
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Badou N’Diaye Idrissa Gueye
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Youssouf Sabaly Moussa Wague
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Salif Sane Kalidou Koulibaly
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Edouard Mendy
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Oh yes. Put your money here, gentlemen. Notice the big name missing? Sadio Mané hasn’t even debuted yet. This was Cisse’s “soft side”. With the competition set speed up significantly in the coming days, he thought he’d rest a few of his better players. Alfred N’Diaye didn’t come on either. These players looked every bit as treacherous as the projected “A-Team”. They’re on the cusp of a deep run.
The Algerian Foxes bagged themselves a nice scoreline, but were in fact quite poor. One goal came from the spot and Riyah Mahrez’s tally came courtesy of a random deflection. They struggled to look coherent against the Kenyans.
Bookie has no qualms about setting a high line here.
THE LINE: Senegal +2 Goals
Tanzania vs. Kenya
vs. 
Bam! The Grand East African derby. These two teams can’t stand one another. So much pride on the line. So much history. One day the bookie will attend one of these rivalry installments. Mark my words. I didn’t leave that Taifa Stars jersey in pristine condition for nothing.
Tanzanian manager Emmanuel Amunike’s system came into focus late in the Senegal match. Give the players credit. Recipients of a thorough spanking, they kept the original game plan in their minds to the bitter end. Once the Terangans tired out a bit, one saw how the shape was supposed to work.
A 4-1-3-2 with alternating deep anchoring midfielders regulates the tempo. The shape can quickly revert to a 4-3-2-1 when the flight director needs help. Several players took turns trying to get the attack moving. Faridi Mussa and Thomas Ulimwengu ultimately succeeded in producing some quality movement at the last gasp.
Bookie says this midfield arrangement beats a Victor Wanyama who looks all out of sorts surrounded by unfamiliar players. Many shall say “what a crock of shit”.
THE LINE: Tanzania +1 Goal
Friday, June 28th
Tunisia vs. Mali
vs. 
This one looks to be pretty fun. The Eagles of Carthage never really took flight against the Angolans. As predicted, Alain Giresse did deploy a three-man defensive front featueing Oussama Haddadi, Dylan Bronn, and Yassine Meriah. To the bookie’s eyes, it actually looked something of a mess. Haddadi and Rami Bedoui kept switching unnecessarily. This kid Ghailene Chaalali kept wandering into thick of things for no apparent reason. The discipline on this team simply isn’t there.
Msakni had a relatively poor match in spite of his converted spot kick. He was all over the place trying to do way too much. Sliti and Khazri were subpar. So too, later on, were Sassi and Badri. Giresse’s offensive minded substitutions directly led to total defensive meltdown in the latter stages of the fixture. Can’t say I’m impressed with how this team is built.
We’ll simply have to give them a mulligan. An assemblage of players this talented can and will play better. Much love for Les Aigles, and the TWO Adama Traorés, but their victory against Mauritania wasn’t anywhere near as decisive as the scoreline suggests. They were simply playing a totally disorganized team and even then they conceded a goal.
One more chance, Tunis. This bookkeeper can’t write you off just yet.
THE LINE: Tunisia +1 Goal
Morocco vs. Cote d’Ivoire
vs. 
The Second Round’s “Prime Time” matchup. Huge African programs, both of whom looked very stellar in their debut. We’ll begin with Herve Renard and the latest incarnation of the Atlas Lions.
I think Renard’s rolling with a 4-2-3-1, though it’s sometimes difficult to tell without a tactical overhead cam. Decent triangulation out of the back. Benatia looks strong, though he’s not on “captain fantastic” level just yet. Mbark Boussoufa had himself a gem of a match. Ziyech has created a few opportunities for himself. He’s not particular accurate on the finish yet, but his tournament is just beginning. Boufal got a look in. At least he’s looking for a sniff. And don’t discount Bhotaib. He’s quite the sharp character. Bookie likes his instincts
Now let’s talk Elephants. Ibrahim Kamara’s new-look tuskers look very impressive indeed. Bookie saw a tenacious 4-2-3-1 with Jonathan Kodjia deployed up top. The Aston Villa striker could have scored two or three goals in the South Africa match. Maz Gradel and Jean Michel Serie flanked slightly behind.
Then there’s really spectacular kid Nicolas Pepe on the anchoring role. Amazing talent he is! The LOSC Lille man might be making a move to the Premiership or Bundesliga soon. He absolutely crushed a beautiful set piece in the first half and made some really slick dekes later on. Zaha, Bony, and Die all demonstrated top form.
The Senegalese Lions unquestionably had the strongest debut, but Les Elephants weren’t far behind in the bookie’s estimation. They appear to be significantly stronger than my initial assessment. Hence, we’ve got ourselves an…..you guessed it…..one of those
UPSET ALERT!!
THE LINE: Cote d’Ivoire +1 Goal
South Africa vs. Namibia
vs. 
Both of these teams are pretty bad. Perhaps they should reunite “South West Africa”. They’d play better together. As separate countries, they’re unlikely to show us much here. Stuart Baxter’s Bafana appeared plain and flat in their opening match. Interestingly enough, Percy Tau didn’t start up front. Instead we got Strasbourg’s Lebo Mothiba and Mamelodi’s Lebohang Maboe alone in a flaccid 4-4-2.
Saw absolutely nothing from either striker. In point of fact, one really only saw one quality chance from the whole team, and that was off a corner. Bookie feels comfortable selling this bunch early in spite of their potential. I don't even think they capture three points here.
Insofar as the Namibians are concerned, they’re hopeless. They can’t even play catch at the back. They’re doomed…..but then again your friendly bookie always says that when he learns Kaiserslautern just signed one of the players.
Goalless draw. Ho-hum.
THE LINE: Pick em’
Saturday June 29th
Mauritania vs. Angola
vs. 
If the Sable Antelopes can’t decisively dismantle what appears to be the most fucked up team in the tournament, they don’t deserve to return to the grand continental stage for another six years. Seriously. The play of the Chinguetti Lions more closely resembles that of your daughter’s “chase team”.
My sincerest apologies to the other debutantes in this tournament, Madagascar and Burundi. They knew how to debut. These sheiks don’t know what the hell they’re doing out there. Here we have the team that really shouldn’t have been included.
The Angolans appear surprisingly spry. Plenty of pop left in Mateus’s boot. He produced far more chances in the Tunisian draw than this oddsmaker expected. Nice little attacking axis put together by the Serbian manager. This a huge chance for them to make a play for favorable seeding. They’re also out for revenge after that qualifying stage upset. Expect them to take advantage of it.
THE LINE: Angola +3 Goals
Cameroon vs. Ghana
vs. 
Put an asterisk next to this one. The great West African rivalry. Looks like our beloved Black Stars may sadly be the best candidates for a total team meltdown. One just had a feeling that the Benin side would go straight for this wobbly team’s jugular. When a 34-year-old Mickael Pote can sneak in behind your defensive line and out-juke everyone, that’s nothing short of a damned disaster.
John Boye’s suspension further complicates matters. Jonathan Mensah can step in, but I can’t find a fitting partner for him. I assume we’ve seen the last of this Lumor Agbenyenu kid. They really shouldn’t have left Nicolas Opoku off the final roster. Up front, the Ayew brothers can’t be expected to do it all by themselves. Horrible finishing from Atsu, Partey, and Wakaso. Kwadwo is only option left.
The Indomitables more or less followed the bookie’s projection with their lineup, though Seedorf doesn’t seem to have full confidence in Chuopo-Moting alone up front. He keeps trading with Bassogog for some reason. Djoum, Mandejeck, AND the unfortunately named Banana Yaya look strong.
Took a while for the Cameroonians to show the bookie something, but they basically appear to be on the level. The same cannot be said for a team I had serious misgivings about. It’s not nearly as hard to pick a winner here as I thought it would be.
THE LINE: Cameroon +1 Goal
Benin vs. Guinea-Bissau
vs. 
All hail…squirrels. Yes, I’m afraid we’re going to have to get used to the fact that “the squirrels” might make the knockouts. Bookie gave former Dynamo Dresden striker Mickael Pote a shout out in the Preview/Round One section…mostly as a joke. Couldn’t have foreseen what that he would totally dis the Ghanaians in the third minute.
It remains early, but the….er….”squirrels” didn’t resemble roadkill to this oddsmaker’s eyes. Beyond the goals they provided little of note offensively. Dussuyer does have them running a nifty little 5-4-1 obelisk torch that wears opponents down and pilfers well too.
The out-footballed a large program for large swathes of their first encounter. They shouldn’t have much trouble out-powering another small time crew here.
THE LINE: Benin +1 Goal
GENTLEMEN, ENTER YOUR WAGERS
