#CAN2017 Team of the tournament
First, I will state some caveats that should be obvious.
1. I am not CAF, and do not purport to be an authority. I did however see almost every game at CAN 2017, so I have some idea what I’ll be rambling on about here.
2. This post will be shaped by a lot of my personal biases. For example, in the goalkeeping department, I have always preferred reliability to flamboyance. That’s just who I am.
3. I consider both quantity and level of performances. If a player has performed to a consistently high level, I will not penalize him for his country not progressing far enough for him to rack up more appearances. That said, I have also tried to reward quantity as well. It is not an exact science though.
4. The level of full-backs at the CAN was so alarmingly poor, I have opted not to use any of them in this team. Was tempted to do the same at striker, but I reached a compromise.
There, now we’ve gotten that out of the way, here is my Team of the Tournament.
Herve Koffi
There will no doubt be plenty of somewhat justified shouts for Fabrice Ondoa and Essam El Hadary, both of whom contested the final. However, neither impressed me as much young Koffi, who will certainly grow into a top goalkeeper if he makes the right choices.
His performance against Gabon in the second game of the tournament was a notable standout. Twice he denied Bouanga with impressive saves, the first spectacular but the second more instinctive. His reach and general command of his area all tournament long earns him a place here.
Brief note on why I did not pick El Hadary or Ondoa. The former is undoubtedly a legend, even though his claim to being the best ever on the continent is harmed by never being to a World Cup. He did not concede till the semis, in part due to a mixture of excellent defending and awful finishing (looking at you, Bouhanddouz), but his status and story perhaps kept many from acknowledging the obvious: he has declined quite markedly, and just does not exude the same authority. His handling of crosses in Gabon was a huge black mark.
Ondoa is a fine goalkeeper, arguably the most agile in the competition. My issue with him is he relies on it too much after making a bad decision. Technically, he lacks the neatness of Koffi, who got my nod here.
Bakary Kone
Burkina Faso grew in attacking intent as the tournament progressed, but kept their defensive solidity through it. Key to this was Kone’s ability to play to a high level both in his penalty box and as part of a more advanced defensive line. The Stallions will rue their luck in the semi-final, losing the game on penalties after controlling it for so long. With Kone marshalling and anticipating every ball and awkward bounce on the Libreville pitch, they barely gave Egypt a sniff, and even more impressively, they were brave in pushing up.
Also impressive in their second half breakaway win over Tunisia, Kone was the man for all seasons and all approaches.
Kara Mbodj
Senegal were the great disappointment of the tournament, flaming out after a roaring start to the group stage. however, they only conceded twice, both in a dead rubber against Algeria after making 10 changes.
Much of that owed to Kara. Napoli’s Koulibaly is the better defender of the two, but came into the competition slightly unfit. It was Kara who marshalled a superb rearguard action in the opening games against Tunisia, often having to hold his partner’s hand.
His blend of physicality and speed make him a nightmare to get past even at the best of times, and even though he only played four games, the quality of his displays gets him in here easily.
Ahmed Hegazy
At the actual nuts and bolts of defensive play, Hegazy excelled at CAN 2017. He was the standout defender in the competition’s meanest defence, and yet I was strongly tempted to leave him out.
Why? Watch him, and it is hard to imagine he would do well if Egypt tried to play a more expansive game. In part, Cuper’s decision to play on the counter is a concession to the weaknesses of his centre-back pairing — had he been more confident in their ability to defend in space, Egypt might have been a more exciting side to watch. In this case, he is almost the anti-Kone.
However, one can only judge what does happen, not what might have. Whatever Egypt came up against, Hegazy headed away or got in the way of. He dealt well with physicality, and his positioning was almost always top notch. A rock.
Charles Kabore
It is hard to believe Kabore is still 28; he seems to have been around forever! He has been around the block a few times, but he was immense in midfield for the Stallions.
His partnership with Abdou Razack Traore was a thing of beauty, and on a personal level, it just looked like men against boys whenever anyone stepped to Kabore. His strength, allied to his metronomic passing and huge engine, made it impossible to leave him out of this team.
Simply put, he strutted around Libreville like he owned the place. In truth, who would have the gumption to say otherwise? He really turned up in the quarter final against Tunisia, so see that again if you must.
Sebastian Siani
Cameroon completed an unlikely feat by lifting the trophy, and the presence of Siani was central to that. Broos often opted for a conservative midfield pairing with Mandjeck or Djoum, but of the two, it was Siani with greater license to sporadically burst forward.
He came up with decisive contributions at crucial times as well. When Cameroon were on the ropes against Guinea Bissau, Siani crashed in the equaliser. Also, his splendid ball over the top to find the run of Vincent Aboubakar led to the winner in the final.
Without his goal, Cameroon might have exited the competition early. Without his pass, they might have had to face extra time and penalties in the final. Not the most talented or technically gifted midfielder at CAN 2017, but was pivotal for the champions. That gets him in here.
Mohamed Amine Ben Amor
Another I picked for the quality of performance rather than quantity. Ben Amor played only three games, but for those three games, he was truly excellent. Often, the best defensive midfielders are those who are able to fit around the abilities of those around them, who can recognize in an instant what their teammates need them to be.
No one understood this function better than Ben Amor. He did the grunt work, his mobility and quick thinking allowing midfield partner Ferjani Sassi to shine. His distribution was reliable as well, and he was almost completely impeccable in those three games.
Watch him against Algeria in the group stage for a distillation of what he is about.
Mbark Boussoufa
When the story of CAN 2017 is told, let it be made abundantly clear that this man was the standout midfielder in the competition.
All of 32, and supposedly slowing down, Boussoufa delivered one of the all-time great tournament performances from midfield, paired by Karim El Ahmadi of the same age. He dominated every blade of grass, and was central to a very impressive Morocco side that suffered for the lack of proper cutting edge.
Carrying the ball, playing the right passes, and even shooting, Boussoufa’s level in Gabon was higher than anyone else’s, and had the Atlas Lions gotten to the semi-final, he would have been my pick for Player of the tournament. As it stands, he will have to settle for having won my heart.
I cannot even recommend a star performance. He was great every game, a constant 9/10.
Benjamin Moukandjo
The best player for the champions also happened to be their captain, and so surely deserves a place in this selection. He does though on consistency and quantity of performance.
His deliveries from dead balls proved a particularly effective weapon for Cameroon in the knockout stages, but he also opened their account in Gabon with a fine free kick. He showed admirable application, playing behind the striker in the group stage, then moving out left.
Cameroon’s forward line was essentially spinning the wheel by Broos, which makes the consistency of Moukandjo all the more impressive. In the 23-man squad, only three outfield players saw no action in Gabon — with the instability raging around him, he led still and was a bastion of composure. For this, he is my Player of the tournament.
Mohamed Salah
It is hard to express yourself when you are pretty much 90% of your team’s attacking strategy and, even worse, everyone knows. In those circumstances, 2 goals and an assist can be rightly considered a fantastic return.
However, look closer and there is a tinge of disappointment. Salah was decisive without actually being great in Gabon. The system can often mean he cuts an isolated figure, but there were instances when he could have been more involved than he was. It says a lot that his best all-round performance in the competition came in the first half of the final.
He gets in here purely on the weight of his contributions and the timing of them.
Junior Kabananga
I resisted the temptation to make do with Prejuce Nakoulma. There is a reason they are called ‘strikers’, and the Burkinabe did everything right in Gabon apart from actually striking the ball.
Kabananga finished the tournament’s highest scorer, even though DR Congo exited in the Quarter Finals. That should be explanation enough, but I will add that, in a tournament when the finishing was atrocious and there was no outstanding centre-forward, Kabananga was a pleasant surprise.
He often played from the wing, but he is in fact a centre-forward most of the time at Astana, so I have used him there here. I make no apologies. His first two goals were quite easy, but his third, in the win over Togo, showed just how good a finisher he is.
That game, DR Congo played with a very fluid front three, and looked very dangerous and unpredictable going forward. Sure enough, Mbokani came back in the very next game, and we never saw it again. What might have been.
Honourable mentions: Essam El Hadary, Fabrice Ondoa, Syam Ben Youssef, Christian Ngadeu, Ambroise Oyongo, Thomas Partey, Karim El Ahmadi, Chancel Mbemba, Christian Bassogog, Sadio Mane, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Youssef Mskani.
Match of the tournament: Cameroon 2–1 Egypt
CAN 2017 saved the very best for last. With both teams boasting excellent defensive records, it was expected it would be a snoozefest. It proved to be anything but.
We got instead one of the finer finals in recent memory, with Cameroon coming from behind to secure a fifth title, crucially inside 90 minutes.
Goal of the tournament: Vincent Aboubakar
A goal worthy to win any final. Cliche, but true. Every thing about it is great: the ball over the top, the control, the flick, and the slightly imperfect hit at the end which somehow managed to improve the aesthetic.
The timing too — it is the finish of a showman, and the pick of the bunch in a tournament of outstanding strikes.
