Marc Wilmots: What is Ivory Coast trying to achieve?
Note: This piece is longer than I typically write on here. I wrote it for Goal, upon the appointment of Marc Wilmots by FIFCI (back in March), but it somehow never got published. My Editor must not have liked it. Hope you will.
It is remarkable that Ivory Coast’s ability to produce talent, admirable as it is, is matched by their penchant for terrible managerial choices. Marc Wilmots is the latest in a line of implausible appointments, and will almost certainly end in utter failure.
On the surface, and buttressing the popular, anti-intellectual mistrust of stats, the former Belgium international is a stellar appointment. His three-year spell in charge of the Belgian national team, terminated last year after the European Championship, boasts a win percentage of 64 and almost two goals per game. He qualified the Red Devils for both the World Cup and the Euros with ease, and progressed to the Quarter Final in both tournaments.
As a player, he holds the record for most goals for his country at World Cup finals, with five, and scored 28 times in 70 appearances for the national team.
All these numbers paint the picture of a stellar player who transitioned into a top-class coach. Lies, damn lies and statistics. There can be no tainting his playing accomplishments, but his management of Belgium, especially at major tournaments, leaves a lot to be desired.
A nation of Belgium’s pedigree cannot be too miffed at two last-eight finishes, but there were no tears shed when the FA decided to cut him loose following a 3–1 loss to Wales that was both an upset and entirely predictable. This was, after all, the finest collection of talent the nation has ever boasted, a veritable golden generation, even more talented than the side that got the semi-final of the World Cup in 1986.
And yet there was nothing to set the pulse racing, and even the manner of their progressions did little to excite. Wilmots may have only lost one of 20 qualifiers in his four-year spell as Belgium boss, but his side’s performances at the tournament itself were meekly dull and devoid of imagination, a reality which one might have expected to resonate with the Ivorian Football authorities.
The Elephants have, of course, frequently made light work of qualifiers, with their impressive talent pool enough to either beat up on or simply outlast lesser opposition. A marathon, round-robin format qualification stage gives margin for error, and will invariably favour the teams with greater resources.
Yet, for all their talent, Ivory Coast only really came close to winning the Afcon on two occasions — 2006 and 2012 — before eventually breaking their duck in 2015. In 2008, 2010 and 2013, they did not even make it to the last four. Surely, a manager fired for making a team as talented as Belgium, presently ranked in Fifa’s top five, play like less than the sum of its parts should not be the resort of a nation that has suffered from precisely this malaise for so long?
It is not only the vacuity of the thought process that is concerning, of course, for one might argue — to an extent, rightly so — that for all their strength, Belgium had deficiencies in certain specialist positions, notably at full-back. This however simply highlights the major concern around Wilmots: a lack of tactical nous, and an inability to think outside the conventional.
When his side faltered in such alarming fashion against Italy in its opening group game at Euro 2016, there was some dismay at how easy it was for the Azzurri to find and exploit gaps. Even more damning was how toothless they looked themselves, barely troubling Antonio Conte’s men, despite the Italians using a system that had barely seen proper match action.
That however might have been chalked up to opening jitters, as well as the traditional cunning of the opposition. By the time Wales repeated the trick in the last eight, there was no doubt in the mind of Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as to who was to be held responsible.
“This was an opportunity we may not get again,” he said. “I gave him (Wilmots) my opinion in the dressing room. He has to make his own decision.
“The problem was same as against Italy. We played with the same tactics and the problem was there again.”
Under Wilmots, Belgium looked a disjointed group of soloists, unable to forge a synergy. Even in their most emphatic win, a 4–0 thumping of Hungary, they managed to underwhelm still. Their incredible lack of structure, both in and out of possession, allied to a barely concealed weakness down the flanks, was clearly going to be exploited by any team even remotely well organized.
This is the man whom Ivory Coast have appointed to lead the Elephants. Considering their cathartic success in 2015 was achieved by making a break from the norm and appointing Herve Renard, a manager prized for his emphasis on tactical cohesion, team shape and flexibility in terms of systems, Wilmots makes even less sense.
Michel Dussuyer took an Ivorian side with probably the best midfield at Afcon 2017 (Serey Die, Franck Kessie and Jean Seri) and contrived to make it the weakest compartment of the team. One wonders why he was let go if a man who has a track record of similar misuse of talent was intended to replace him.
Wilmots’ first play as coach? To push for the return of 33-year-old, increasingly immobile Yaya Toure — a classic case of misplaced priorities.
It may well be that the 48-year-old has learnt from his errors, but if the antecedents of the War Pig are anything to go by, he won’t be unearthing any truffles in Abidjan.
