Football - Togo: The projects that await Patrice Neveu

Since 2017, Togo has no longer participated in any final phase of the African Cup of Nations. Claude Le Roy, Paulo Duarte and Nibombé Daré could not restore the coat of arms of the Eperviers. Patrice Neveu is expected to succeed where his predecessors failed.

Build a real collective

If Paulo Duarte, with his small squad, was able to set up a real collective that stood up to teams like Senegal, Daré Nibombé broke everything upon his arrival. It will be necessary to start things again from the beginning. Patrice Neveu must find the right formula to set up a competitive team. 

In recent years, the Togolese selection has not been full of very great players. Finished the time when the Eperviers had Emmanuel Adebayor, Serge Gakpé, Agassa Kossi... Now, most of the Togolese players are no longer playing at a very high level. Only Ihlas Bebou (Hoffenheim), Djene Dakonam (Getafe) and Karim Dermane (FC Lorient) play in one of the five major championships in Europe. As a result, Patrice Neveu must use the available resources, while allowing the team to return to the front of the stage. 

Togo no longer has strong individualities. As a result, only the collective can make the difference. This is what Paulo Duarte understood during his time on the bench of the Togolese team. Patrice Neveu must be inspired by the current coach of Guinea. It will be necessary to find the correct tactical system and game animation to allow the Eperviers to hold the line for high-performance teams on the continent. 

Several positions to be strengthened

Togo does not have a real workforce, it is a fact. Several positions remain problematic: the goalkeeper, a left-back, overflow wingmen and a real scorer. The construction site is vast. 
In the cages, Togo no longer has any real insurance. Malcolm Barcola has no playing time at IRT Tangier, Steven Mensah hasn’t played any minutes with VfB Oldenburg (4th German division) since the beginning of the season. During the pre-list unveiled a few days ago, Rayann Amedivlo, the young goalkeeper of AJ Auxerre, was summoned for the March truce. Is he the rare bird? Aged 19 and goalkeeper of team B of Auxerre, does the young goalkeeper have the necessary stuff? 

For several years, Togo has struggled to find a real left-back. On several occasions, right-handed players helped out on that side. Under Paulo Duarte, he opted for a 3-5-2 to minimize the impact of the absence of the left back. Patrice Neveu must work on this position. 

The Eperviers don’t have a striker. They are a team that scores very little. Although Kévin Denkey and Fodoh Laba perform respectively with Cincinnati in MLS and Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, they are disillusioned in the national team. These are the two goal-scorers available to the Eperviers. But they have very low returns in selection. 

An equation difficult to solve

From his first speech, Patrice Neveu mentioned the reconstruction. The coach has clear objectives to achieve: rebuild, raise the level of the team, extract the quintessence of the workforce for convincing results. But, the Togolese sporting public is thirsty for victories and wants to find their team at the AFCON. 

Since 2017 and the AFCON in Gabon, the Eperviers have missed the last 4 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, with 24 teams. It comes up every time: the public wants to see Togo again at the AFCON as soon as possible. Just arrived, Patrice Neveu must solve two equations: start the reconstruction and have, at the same time, positive results. The 71-year-old technician does not have time to implement ideas. 

Patrice Neveu will only have two international windows (March and June) to impose his style before the start of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers in September 2026. The former coach of Gabon must be methodical.