10 Players with Points to Prove in AFCON Qualifiers on October 10-11
International football returns to Africa this weekend with rounds three and four of Cup of Nations qualification.
During the opening series of matches, various players shone and several sides performed exceptionally. However, there are also those that underperformed; continental giants Nigeria, Egypt and the Ivory Coast all lost matches, while Ghana were nearly humiliated at home to Uganda.
Naturally, with so many powerhouses delivering underwhelming performances, there are numerous players with points to prove heading into the next round of games.
In this feature, we profile 10 African players who fall into this category.
In selecting players for this list, those whose abilities or reputations have come under scrutiny recently or those whose abilities have been questioned have been considered.
Some are players whose performances have fallen below the expectations that accompany their reputation, others need to prove they are worthy of an international place having been recalled, while others are young players yet to prove they merit their place in the national side.
The players listed need to demonstrate something to the media, fans and perhaps even themselves over the coming Cup of Nations fixtures.
Mohamed Salah
1 of 10
Egypt need a saviour more than ever, but one by one the figureheads of the golden generation have dropped from the limelight.
Since the Pharaohs lost their opening Cup of Nations qualifiers, Ahmed Elmohamady and Sherif Ekramy, among others, have been ruled out of the double-header with Botswana.
If the North African giants are to stand any chance of advancing to the tournament proper, they need to secure maximum points against Botswana.
Inevitably, the team will turn to Mohamed Salah, the current golden boy of Egyptian soccer.
Few doubt the forward’s talent, but he looked horribly off the pace as Shawky Gharib’s side crashed to defeat against Senegal and couldn’t inspire those around him against North African neighbours Tunisia.
It appears as though Salah’s inactivity at Chelsea, where he is benchwarmer rather than goal threat, is affecting his match sharpness, and Egyptians will surely fear that will have a detrimental effect on his long-term development.
John Obi Mikel
2 of 10
Finally, after years of waiting for him to blossom, Nigeria fans finally got the John Obi Mikel they had been hoping for as the Super Eagles lifted the 2013 Cup of Nations.
The midfielder delivered a number of commanding displays as the West African giants lifted the continental crown and followed that up with a few showings of genuine style and class at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
At last, the wonderkid had delivered on his elite promise.
However, since then, the influential performances have dried up. Too many big occasions have passed him by and lethargy has taken over.
It doesn’t help that his Chelsea career looks to be stagnating, with commentators such as Goal Nigeria’s Solace Chukwu recommending that the midfielder seeks pastures new.
Seemingly, defeat to the Republic of Congo was the nadir for the Super Eagles. If Mikel wants to make up for lost time, he should start by imposing himself in the double-header against Sudan.
Yaya Toure
3 of 10
Yaya Toure looked untouchable at times as he guided Manchester City to the Premier League title with a 20-goal haul last season.
Since then, however, a combination of off-field controversy and on-field malaise has raised question marks about the powerful midfielder.
This is as true for Manchester City as it is for the Ivory Coast.
Toure endured a disappointing World Cup; he didn’t find the net in Brazil and was impotent as the Elephants once again crashed out at the first hurdle.
Things continued in the same vein as the West Africans laboured to a 2-1 home win against Sierra Leone, before being demolished by Cameroon in their opening Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Toure has points to prove across the board at the moment. For the national side, with a new manager and a legendary captain departed, his experience and aura is needed now more than ever.
Hope Akpan
4 of 10
It’s been a long wait for Reading midfielder Hope Akpan to make his international bow. Speaking to me in an interview back in April 2013, the former Everton man spoke of his desire to break into the Super Eagles setup.
Since then, Stephen Keshi has experimented with the likes of John Ogu and Fegor Ogude as powerful central midfielders, but neither player was of the required class. Almeria's Ramon Azeez has started three games since making his debut against Mexico, but he has also been jettisoned having failed to convince.
Finally, the Big Boss has turned to the dynamic Akpan. Should he get his chance against Sudan, he must take it with both hands. If he can impress and improve the Eagles’ fortunes, then the 23-year-old could be set for a long international career.
Kwadwo Asamoah
5 of 10
The emergence of Jeffrey Schlupp and Abdul Rahman Baba as a viable left-back options for Ghana—as if it wasn’t clear last season—has meant that Kwadwo Asamoah’s myriad talents need no longer be stationed out on the flank.
The Juventus man is a perfectly able and occasionally effective left-back-cum-left-wing-back, but too often during Kwesi Appiah’s reign, the Black Stars were found lacking in creative and central areas.
Now that Schlupp and Baba have arrived and the Silent Killer has departed, things may be about to change.
However, if Asamoah does begin to take a central role for the West Africans, acting as the team’s main influence, he needs to prove that he can deliver.
In Ghana’s Group E opener against Uganda, for example, the team’s attack looked staid and uninspired. Asamoah must ensure this is not repeated against Guinea.
Sone Aluko
6 of 10
Like a few players on this list, Sone Aluko has recently been reintroduced to the national team setup having spent a while in exile.
The versatile forward was overlooked by Stephen Keshi last season, despite his encouraging performances in the Premier League, but he finally returned to the Nigeria side for the matches against Congo and South Africa.
Bafflingly, Keshi only gave the Hull City man the briefest of cameos against South Africa and left him out completely against the Red Devils. However, with Victor Moses and Michael Babatunde injured and Nnamdi Oduamadi and Chinedu Obasi snubbed, surely Aluko will be given a starting berth.
He may at last receive an opportunity to demonstrate to the manager what he could have offered at the World Cup in Brazil.
Papiss Demba Cisse
7 of 10
To date, Senegal have scored four goals in Cup of Nations qualification; Alain Giresse’s side managed 2-0 victories over both Egypt and Botswana.
Mame Biram Diouf and Dame N’Doye have one apiece, and Southamption new boy Sadio Mane has two.
Those three forwards started both games, with Moussa Sow and Moussa Konate enjoying brief cameo appearances.
Papiss Demba Cisse didn’t get a look in, but having scored four goals in his last three appearances for Newcastle United, the much-beleaguered striker must surely be optimistic of receiving some game time in the double-header against Tunisia.
The forward brings the kind of experience that some of those aforementioned strikers lack and, being in hot form, should get the chance to re-establish himself as the Teranga Lions’ main man up front.
Thulani Serero
8 of 10
Thulani Serero was often overlooked by Gordon Igesund, but he started the final three games of the former manager’s ill-fated reign.
It was a false dawn.
When Shakes Mashaba took over and filled the squad with numerous unproven youngsters, the Ajax midfielder was one of the most high-profile casualties. However, as I discussed in episode two of the African Football Weekly podcast, Mashaba's "revolution" was more about show and making an impact than tangible changes on the pitch.
It's no surprise that he is quickly returning to a more experienced team.
The new Bafana Bafana manager appears to have mellowed and has recalled Serero for South Africa’s upcoming matches against the Republic of Congo.
Central midfielders Dean Furman and Andile Jali impressed in the last two games, but they lack creativity and invention. Serero will be charged with bringing something a little different to the heart of the midfield and prove he has the maturity to guide the fallen giants back to the continental high table.
Emmanuel Emenike
9 of 10
The previous year was a remarkable one for Nigeria forward Emmanuel Emenike. The striker was the top scorer at the 2013 Cup of Nations, scoring against Burkina Faso, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Mali. He was missed at the Confederations Cup, but he exploded into form with goals against Malawi (in a World Cup qualifier), Burkina Faso (in a friendly) and Ethiopia (twice, in the World Cup qualification play-offs).
Since then, however, the goals have dried up.
Perhaps it is because of a reported disagreement with Keshi, perhaps it is because he is without his selfless, powerful wingman Brown Ideye (who has been dropped since November), but excluding the World Cup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Emenike has looked a shadow of his 2013 self.
Nigeria looked impotent in their 0-0 draw with South Africa and need his goals and ferocity now more than ever. Emenike, for his part, needs to prove that last year was the rule and not the exception.
Ryad Boudebouz
10 of 10
While Ryad Boudebouz will surely have enjoyed Algeria’s fantastic World Cup showing and the performances of his compatriots and friends, there must have been a lingering sense that he ought to have been present.
The SC Bastia midfielder was named in the preliminary squad of 30 for the friendly against Armenia, but he ended up being dropped from the final party who travelled to Brazil.
As Sofiane Feghouli and Yacine Brahimi (who had been overlooked for the Cup of Nations 18 months earlier) dazzled, Boudebouz watched on, firmly on the outside of that historic summer.
The playmaker stagnated at Sochaux and took time rediscovering his form on Corsica.
If his tantalising recent performance against Toulouse is anything to go by, then Boudebouz might not be so far away from the form that made him an international footballer in the first place.
Against Malawi, he should have the chance to feature in a second consecutive international match for the first time since 2012. If the Flames afford him space, as they did for the Ethiopian strikers in their previous qualifying game, then Boudebouz may be able to prove he ought to be a regular once more.
