Ulli Stielike: "Drogba helps me lead the Ivory Coast"

No bigger bang possible for Ivory Coast coach Ulli Stielike than their game against Nigeria in early 2008. Africa’s superior teams in a duel of two former Borussia Mönchengladbach players. The 2008 Africa Cup in Ghana will commence with this crowd puller. As a player, the former DFB coach Stielike had a stellar career with Gladbach in the Bundesliga and with Real Madrid. Wearing the DFB jersey, he won the 1980 European Championships and reached the 1982 World Cup final.

Bad tidings, however, reached Stielike last weekend: Didier Drogba has to undergo knee surgery. Whether Stielike’s captain and star forward of Chelsea will be able to participate in the Africa Cup is highly uncertain.

In this "DFB.de-Talk of the Week" with Wolfgang Tobien, the 52-year old coach talks about his experiences coaching the Ivory Coast "Elephants". Stielike also names his favourites for the Africa Cup, which starts on January 21.

Question: How much were you taken by surprise when hearing about Drogba’s knee surgery?

Ulli Stielike: Well, he had problems with his knee before. I had come to believe that it was more of a muscular problem. The damaged meniscus is certainly not good news.

Question: How long will you have to cope without Drogba?

Stielike: No clue. I’ve been trying to reach him on his mobile, but so far without success. I could not even tell you if the surgery will be done in England or France. If it’s an average meniscus tear, he should be ready to play in five weeks.

Question: How bad would it be, if he has to sit-out the Africa Cup?

Stielike: Obviously, that would be a severe setback. How can anybody believe that you can replace Africa’s best player and the most successful forward playing in Europe? Everything in our team is fine-tuned to Drogba. We would need to develop a new way of playing.

Question: Has the preparational phase started for the game against Nigeria, which will be your opening game in the Africa Cup on January 21?

Stielike: Christmas is at hand, which will be a quiet family celebration. We’ll start the preparation in January. Playing Nigeria will be a fantastic challenge, a magnificent game.

Question: Experts think that both teams will meet again in the final of the Africa Cup.

Stielike: The Africa Cup always held surprises in store. Recently, we lost against Angola and please remember Nigeria’s loss against Australia. Egypt as the reigning champions are certainly a favourite. I see five or six other teams with a legitimate shot at the title, with the Ivory Coast and Nigeria belonging to that list. Ghana enjoys homefield advantage, they’ll be backed by their fans. Then there is Cameroon coached by my good friend Otto Pfister. Rumours have it that he was given the job by the sports minister against the expressed wishes of the association. Morocco recently tied France, when they played a great game.

Question: Your contract expires following the Africa Cup. What do you need to accomplish in Ghana, so that the contract will be extended?

Stielike: It’s up to our representatives of the association. Will they only look at the games of the Africa Cup or do they take into account, what we have accomplished over the long haul? That’s hard for me to say.

Question: For one year, you remained undefeated with the Ivory Coast, then you lost two games against Austria and Angola in October and November. How do you assess your first 16 months coaching the Ivory Coast?

Stielike: The long run without a loss looks good on paper, but then we beat Madagascar twice and we won against Mauritius. Obviously, with all due respect, we should beat these opponents. But overall, working with African players has been a rewarding experience.

Question: Coaching international stars such as Drogba or Kolo Touré of Arsenal London – how was that experience?

Stielike: I’ve had nothing but their uncommitted support. They welcomed me with great respect. They are very disciplined, and with Drogba, Touré and Didier Zokora, I have players on the team, that help me guide this team. In regards to the overall organisation, you cannot expect European standards. Then again, most of our guys play for Europe’s elite clubs, so they are used to a perfect organisation. But we cannot just charter a plane to reach any destination. That’s simply way beyond our budgets.

Question: Germany’s football fans loved the performance of the Ivory Coast during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, even though the team did not win many games. How has the team changed since then?

Stielike: Now, we defend with three men on a line, which creates many new opportunities for us. Until the game against Austria, we went one year without giving up a goal. But in the last three games, our opponents gave up six goals. Looking forward to the Africa Cup, we have to solidify our defensive allignment. Because of the players on the roster, we are an attacking team. The line-up ist almost identical to the 2006 World Cup. We’re still not old, so this team should stay together until the 2010 World Cup.

Question: But Drogba is still the one superstar on the team?

Stielike: He was voted Africa’s Player of the Year, which gave him another boost. His goals for Chelsea are seen in all of Africa, and his success fills the people with pride. Didier Drogba is an African hero, his popularity goes beyond the borders of the Ivory Coastm while his influence transcends the realm of football. If he cannot play at the Africa Cup, it would be terrible.

Question: Drogba and many other players on your team play in Europe – advantage or disadvantage for the national team?

Stielike: Without any doubt, that is a tremendous advantage. In Europe, these African talents learn how to work on a high professional level. It starts with nutrition and it ends with modern practice methods. African football gets stronger each year, and that has a lot to do with Europe. With the stars leaving Africa, it creates room for new talents to grow in mature in our leagues.