By AVI CREDITOR
After failing to lure Guus Hiddink into a two-month coaching stint, the Ivory Coast has settled on Sven-Goran Eriksson to guide its squad in this summer's World Cup.
Eriksson, the former Mexico and England manager, replaces Vahid Halihodzic, who was let go after the Ivory Coast's disappointing result in the African Cup of Nations.
Hiddink was the Ivory Coast's first choice to be coach, but complications surrounding his current contract with Russia, which expires in June, and his future contract with Turkey, which starts in August, made it impossible for him to take the job.
The Elephants are in perhaps the World Cup's toughest group, Group G, which also features Brazil, Portugal and North Korea, who proved to be a pesky opponent in a 2-1 loss to Mexico last week.
Here are a few other soccer stories from around the world:
RIBERY TO BE READY FOR RED DEVILS
Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery will be fit for the team's Champions League quarterfinal clash with Manchester United next week.
Ribery, who has missed his club's last two games with an ankle injury, is set to return to action on Wednesday in Bayern Munich's DFB Cup match against Schalke.
IVANOVIC OUT A MONTH
Chelsea's defense was dealt another blow with the news that Branislav Ivanovic will be forced to miss a month with a torn knee ligament.
The Serbian international hurt his knee in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Blackburn on Sunday, joining Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole as injured members of Chelsea's back line. Keeper Petr Cech has also been out for a month, but the BBC reports that he could be fit to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday.
VERMAELEN APPEAL REJECTED
Arsenal's appeal of a red card to defender Thomas Vermaelen has been rejected, and the star defender will miss the Gunners' next match as a result.
Vermaelen took down West Ham's Guillermo Franco in the box on Saturday and received a straight red; however, because the red wasn't for violent conduct he avoided a three-match ban, according to Sky Sports. Arsenal, just two points behind leaders Manchester United in the Premier League title chase, plays at Birmingham Saturday.
SOCCEROO DEFENDER TO MISS WORLD CUP
Australia's defensive depth took a hit with word that Leeds United defender Patrick Kisnorbo has ruptured his Achilles tendon, meaning he is likely to miss the World Cup.
Kisnorbo, who has 18 caps with the national team, was thought to be included in the squad by manager Pim Verbeek, who will step down after this summer's competition.
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Do you think Sven is the right hire for the Ivory Coast? What are Bayern Munich's chances at taking down Manchester United? Can Chelsea's defense survive without Ivanovic? Arsenal's without Vermaelen? Do you expect Australia to contend in Group D?
Share your thoughts below.
Like to see the reaction if Mexico don’t get out of their group but Ivory Coast does…
Ribery’s tryouts for Man UTD coming up. He’ll be more than welcome to stay.
To me, what makes him overrated is that he is considered to bring instant credibility when he comes in. What makes him overrated is that he is considered to be a big name, despite his inability to really deliver anything in ten years.
Listen, I just don’t like Sven. I think his England stint was average at best (Quarterfinals for England is nothing to brag about, or am I crazy?) and he just keeps getting jobs despite this.
Yeah, just wait til he puts Gozer in the starting lineup.
THEN you’ll be sorry Vince, very sorry.
I wish Speical One TV was picked up by FSC or ESPN.
I am sure the creators could have some fun with this one.
Jose: “Sven…why did you do it?”
Sven: “Well….I …I…vanted to vear a Puma shirt for a change.”
what makes him overrated, exactly? if anything, he’s gotta be underrated, since 90% of the time people bash him when this discussion comes up.
Ribery and Robben will be a handful for United. I hope the Red Devils are humbled!
Group of Death isn’t so deadly anymore. And Sven has accomplished ONE thing since 2002, which just about any manager could do in his sleep, guiding England into WC qtrfinals. My 2-year old could have escaped group play with the talent ENG had over the last 8 years.
Good points but with North Korea, I would argue you’re guaranteed 3 points (if ever there were 3 points to have). We did see how much a battling team they are recently against Mexico but all the same you have a team that’s likely to get rolled over. However Group D has 4 teams of which all will believe they can get out which is far deadlier.
I’m not at all convinced with Portugal and seeing how they played against China – still not. Brazil will get out, that’s easy. So then you battle it out for the second slot.
However, again, in Group D everyone is battling for the top and they will all come out attacking. So you have 4 teams fighting it out for 2 slots as opposed to 2 team fighting for 1. Twisted logic I know : )
1. Steve Sampson
2. Steve Sampson
3. Ruud Gullit
4. Steve Sampson
I still have to go with Group G being harder. Why? It’s the only group that includes 3 teams that, pre-draw, were picked to be in the Final 8.
Not much there within the past decade. But there is a failed stint with Mexico, in which he almost failed to get them to the Hex. Some might argue that they wouldn’t have made it, but for some dubious refereeing. I’m not that impressed with the England credentials either.
I get it, he’s done stuff before, and Ivory Coast are looking for someone to right the ship. Someone with experience. But he is incredibly overrated and is resting on old laurels.
I knew it! i knew sven would coach them. too bad for the socceroos
I think it’s really a toss up between which group is more difficult, but the Ivorians draw in Munich recently has me leaning toward their group as the tougher of the two. I have a feeling that the Portuguese will surprise people now that the absence of the “Golden Generation” has had a few years to fade.
While I don’t disagree that Group D is tough, to say that it is “by far” the hardest just doesn’t sit well with me.
True Ghana’s B-squad rolled through CAF, but I just don’t see their “senior” squad as being tougher to face talent-wise than Ivory Coast. In addition, Brazil as a “best team in the group” beats out Germany, and Portugal–while playing poorly in qualifying–does have Cristiano. Australia going undefeated through qualifying is impressive, but Asia Qualifying is far from the toughest.
I definitely see your argument, but I don’t see how you could rate one group as “by far” harder than the other.
I can’t believe Vermaelen is actually going to be suspended. Chelsea have serious problems at outside back. Zhirkov and Ferreira can’t defend. Sven, that sneaky swindler is at it again. Shut up Sven! I hope Ribery is in good form for the UCL matches against United. I’d love to see him torch ol’ Gary Neville.
Not a lot of recent success for Sven. I don’t think that he has shown any capability of making the managerial choices that would rank him with the top managers in the game. WC 2006: England beats Paraguay (not bad) and a feisty (but outstripped talent-wise) T&T, then draw with Sweden. They squeak past Ecuador to advance and lost an ugly one to Portugal on PKs. Not a strong argument for his most ‘recent success’. I think this hurts IC and I don’t see them emerging from the group.
Group D is by far the hardest: Germany, Serbia, Ghana, and Australia. Australia went undefeated in qualification, Germany and Serbia cruised through their groups and Ghana went far in the ACN with essentially a children’s none-the-less the talent of their full team squad and will have something to prove with it being in Africa.
No other group compares especially with North Korea one of the group members…
This is starting to look like Klinsman-to-the-U.S.
Are you SURE this is a done deal?
England had a great team – he butchered his own demise by forcing Gerrard and Lampard together toward the end of his stint and playing Scholes (their best center player) to the wing at which case he decided to quite internationally.
BFD – I didn’t have Ivory Coast advancing to the knockout stage anyway. Brazil and Portugal have a lot in their favor, including better players.
I would have gone with Bruno Metso (sp?). Better hair.
Sven was not a great choice for Mexico, and I don’t think he’ll be a great choice for IC. Like Mexico, there’s a language barrier (though lots of players speak English viz Drogba). I don’t think 2 mos is long enough for Sven… I wouldn’t bet on him heading into a CAF, but he might actually have a better time of it facing the group he is. Unlike CAF, he doesn’t have to figure out the whole Anglophone-Francophone divide, or the subSaharan-Maghreb tensions.
Someone better get him a map, though, and tell him about the divide between the north and the south in the IC.
Sven is really setting himself up for yet another failure.
Ivory Coast will not make it out of the group.
Besides dealing with the cold weather, they will have the toughest time dealing with elevation issues in this incredibly tough group. they go from sea level in their first game against Portugal to 5 days later playing Brazil at elevation in Johannesburg (no time to climatize) then to 660m againt North Korea. In contrast Portugal has ALL of their games at sea level, Brazil has it’s first two games at elevation (enough time to climatize prior) and N Korea goes from elevation to sea level to 660m.
Sven’s biggest foe will be climate and elevation. I think his goose is cooked.
List of Sven’s accomplishments as a manager:
Göteborg
Svenska Cupen Winners 1979, 1982
Allsvenskan Champions 1981, 1982
UEFA Cup Winners 1982
Benfica
Portuguese Liga Champions 1983, 1984, 1991
Cup of Portugal Winners 1983
SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira Champions 1989
European Cup Runners Up 1990
UEFA Cup Runners Up 1983
Roma
Coppa Italia Winners 1986
Sampdoria
Coppa Italia Winners 1994
Lazio
Coppa Italia Winners 1998, 2000
Italian Super Cup Winners 1998, 2000
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Winners 1999
UEFA Super Cup Winners 1999
Serie A Champions 2000
England
World Cup Quarterfinalist – 2002, 2006
I love how people act like Sven is some idiot off the street when all they know about him is that he managed a pretty bad Mexico team and was on Special1TV. Someone please make a list of more accomplished managers that are available right now.
So what happened with Special One TV? Is Fox Plus going to pick it up? Be champions!
A lot of achilles’ injuries of late…first beckham and now the socceroos’ defender, and also Kalin Lucas of my beloved michigan state spartans in NCAA tourney…doesnt seem to be a right way to avoid this type of injury by strengthening muscles around it or something
Nice. Someone called this in a comment a few days ago. Lol.
So Brazil and Portugal through to the next round then. Check.
Exactly what I thought. Probably what I’ll always think when I see Sven. I miss that show!
Shut up Sven
I think Sven is a good manager – but club manager. He isn’t familiar with Ivory Coast, just like he wasn’t familiar with Mexico, and I think this will end somewhat similarly.
I don’t know if he’ll get the pushback of Ivorian nationalism like he did with Mexico – but he will not have enough time to familiarize himself with the Ivorian squad and to try tactics and formations that will work with this team.
I don’t like this for Ivory Coast, I can see them crashing out of the group stage now.
England 2002-2006 is why he’s getting the chance. Not a great team, and he managed to get them to achieve the equivalent of their talent level (as opposed to choking, as the english usually do)
Sven parlayed his failed stint with Mexico into a job with Ivory Coast?
Maybe Kasey Kellas was right in Soccernomics, that it really pays to be of certain nationalities. An American Manager would have been sacked, deported, and had interpol called if he had managed a European country the way Sven messed up Mexico. Not that I was complaining when he was there….
But then again, I guess Notts County is doing pretty well in fairness. I just don’t understand why certain managers get chance after chance after underwhelming stints.
Sven took a very average England team to the quarterfinals of WC 02, Euro 2004 and WC 06. I think he struggled with the language and culture in Mexico. He’s still good though.
Ouch. Looks Ivory Coast is gonna be done real quickly.
I would have liked to see Guus work with the Ivorians
🙁