The year ahead for Togo football

The first day of 2008 has arrived and what dominates my thinking is what is in store for Les Eperviers in the next year. So I thought I’d empty my brain of what I’m thinking, predicting and hoping for as Togo moves forward in the next few months. Many of these thoughts I’ll get into in depth in the future…consider this a bit of a trailer for the 2008 Togo blog.

- In just a little over 18 days the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off and despite Togo not making it this time around, the tournament will definitely have my full attention. It will be a chance to see the best of Africa perform and maybe get a glimpse of some of the African nations that could produce the next surprise World Cup qualifier…Mali anyone? Also a chance to take a look at the Zambian side that will be Togo’s first main obstacle in the attempt at back-to-back World Cup qualifications.

-Speaking of which, should we even be concerned about the possibility of flopping out of the qualifications for South Africa 2010 in the first group stage? I mean, if somehow Zambia finishes ahead of us, surely one of the 8 best second place finishes will be attainable. After all, Eritrea (currently ranked 132) and Swaziland (currently ranked 148) should be easily taken care of, right?

- How will the home match ban affect the team? It shouldn’t matter whether the games against Eritrea and Swaziland are in Togo or not, right?

- The constant turmoil surrounding the team, the coaching, and the Togolese Football Federation…will it ever stop? It can only get better after all the controversy surrounding the ‘06 World Cup.

-Adebayor just seems to be getting better and better, and he’s only 23! Where would the national team be without him? His emergence as one of the best strikers in the Premier league bodes well for Togo.

- What will the team look like when they kick off qualifying for S.A. 2010? Will it be made up of mostly the same personnel as we saw in Germany less than two years ago? Any new additions and up-and-comers to keep our eyes on?

- Will the team be well enough prepared? It seems like other countries play more international friendlies than Togo does. Can Togo expect to compete with the best in Africa when they don’t get enough real game action against nations ranked higher than themselves? I mean, does beating the United Arab Emirates 5-0 really mean much? And think back to 2006, a World Cup warm up game against Liechtenstein? How does that help us?

-Nigerian Stephen Keshi who led Togo’s impressive qualification run for Germany ‘06 is back as coach. Can he work the same miracle as he did 2 years ago?

I could go on but that’s enough for now. Despite the disappointing results in 2007, I am excited and optimistic for what is in store for Togolese football in 2008.