I can't deal. All I want to do is watch some African Cup of Nations action, but I can't find it on TV anywhere. And I'll bet you can't, either -- from what I've found out, the only way to get the tournament in America is to be a Dish Network customer and drop $22 a month for the French-language package. (Merci, I'll be sure to run right out and do that.) And it's killing me. The Cup of Nations has become probably the third-most important continental tournament in the world (after the European Championship -- which it's actually older than -- and the Copa América) and now has more recognizable stars in it than ever before. The world's biggest clubs know it, too. That's why they're livid with the Confederation of African Football for continuing to schedule the Cup in the middle of the season, where it conflicts with league schedules. But then again, I'd be livid, too, if players I'm paying to be my go-to guys get pulled away for more than a month to face tough and extremely physical (read: injury-risking) competition. If I run a club that has significant African representation on it, how will this affect my chances to win? Is my squad deep enough to weather a four-week absence of a key player? Can you really plug a hole for a guy like Michael Essien or Kolo Touré? Let's ask the 10 clubs on this week's Cup of Nations edition of the Rankings. Note: All rankings, records and statistics are through Jan. 23.
| World Soccer Power Rankings |
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Inter Milan
Who's missing: No one.
Impact: N/A. Inter actually has two Africans out on loan right now, and its next up-and-coming stud is technically Ghanaian. Seventeen-year-old Mario Balotelli, who's gotten some decent playing time in the Coppa Italia, was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants and then raised by an Italian family. But Italy's bizarre naturalization laws prevent him from becoming a citizen until this summer, when he turns 18 -- that's kept him from any Italian national youth-team call-ups. But much like U.S.-born Giuseppi Rossi (more on him below), Balotelli has turned down approaches from his birth nation for a shot with the Azzurri.
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| 2 |
4 |
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Manchester United
Who's missing: No one.
Impact: N/A. Actually, United is still waiting on a work permit for Manucho, whom it signed last month after an impressive three-week trial. The Angolan striker is a key player for his national team right now, and the Black Antelopes could be the next rising power in Africa. Back in England, Man. Utd is on top again by goal differential and hasn't allowed a goal in four matches. Its 6-0 demolition of reeling Newcastle was especially cold-blooded.
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| 3 |
3 |
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Real Madrid
Who's missing: Mahamadou Diarra (Mali).
Impact: Somewhat significant. Diarra's absence gives more playing time to young stud Fernando Gago in the holding midfielder slot, and he could use more experience. Real is still firing on all cylinders in La Liga, but their young guys fell flat in the Copa del Rey. Spain's only cup competition is obviously no huge priority for Real, and that makes its lame bow-out even worse. Unlike Arsenal, only two of Real's second-teamers are youth-academy projects -- there's no reason these experienced pros (like, say, ex-Boca Juniors star Gago) shouldn't be motivated to grab some silverware of their own.
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| 4 |
2 |
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Arsenal
Who's missing: Touré, Emmanuel Eboué (Ivory Coast), Alexandre Song (Cameroon).
Impact: Significant. Arsenal's Ivorian duo is an integral part of the lineup, especially the nails-tough Touré. His absence was painfully evident Tuesday, when Tottenham knifed its way through the Gunners' swiss cheese of a defense in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi to score a ridiculous 5-1 win (6-2 on aggregate). That was by far the worst Arsenal has looked all season, and definitely exposed Arsène Wenger's penchant for giving his young'uns as much playing time as possible in this competition.
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6 |
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FC Barcelona
Who's missing: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast).
Impact: Significant. Between injuries and international call-ups, continuity in Barça's attack this season has been non-existent. With Eto'o missing again, Frank Rijkaard can experiment with Thierry Henry and Bojan Krkic up top, but heavy rotation doesn't work unless you're Liverpool in Champions League. Still, Barça has looked a little better of late, unbeaten in six matches in January. And was that the flightless Henry we saw scoring on a header last weekend?
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| 6 |
5 |
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AS Roma
Who's missing: Ahmed Barusso (Ghana).
Impact: Little to none. Barusso is a tough midfielder in the Essien mold, but he has yet to cement a spot in the Roma lineup (he's reportedly in the shop window). Not that the Giallorossi have missed him much. They're still solidly in second place in Serie A (though a gaping seven points back), and put a huge 4-0 hurt on Torino last week in the Coppa Italia to reach the quarterfinals against Sampdoria.
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| 7 |
7 |
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FC Porto
Who's missing: Tarik Sektioui (Morocco).
Impact: Somewhat significant. Sektioui is a great weapon for the Dragons to have in their arsenal, particularly on the wing opposite big-gamer Ricardo Quaresma. But Porto will be fine, especially in domestic play. Its lead is now up to nine points in Portugal thanks to back-to-back victories to open '08. And Sektioui will be back in time for when his club really needs him: when the Champions League resumes in a few weeks.
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| 8 |
9 |
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Chelsea
Who's missing: Essien (Ghana), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast).
Impact: Huge. Between them, Drogba and Kalou have accounted for 16 of Chelsea's goals through 32 matches. Without them, the only remaining players in the Blues' strike force with any experience are the impotent Claudio Pizarro and the mercurial Andriy Shevchenko. Proof positive why the Cup of Nations has become so significant: Name another scenario where a club even as deep-pocketed as this one would make a $29 million emergency purchase of a moody journeyman striker like Nicolas Anelka.
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| 9 |
8 |
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São Paulo
Who's missing: No one.
Impact: N/A. I mean come on, it's rare to find a non-Brazilian on a Brazilian club, let alone an African. (I count only one in the entire first division, Vasco da Gama's Nigerian striker Abubakar Bello-Osagie -- can anyone name more?) In any case, the story of the defending champs' early season is on-loan Adriano, who scored twice in São Paulo's state championship opener. Just don't call him Emperor anymore, OK?
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| 10 |
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Villarreal
Who's missing: No one.
Impact: N/A. The Yellow Submarine has taken loads of hits so far this season, but it's the current leader in a mad battle with Atlético Madrid and Espanyol for third place in La Liga. And if they're still standing come Feb. 1, U.S. ex-pat Rossi & Co. will be more than deserving -- their next three games include the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Barcelona and a visit to the Bernabéu this Sunday to take on first-place Real Madrid. Yikes.
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Honorable mentions: Celtic, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahçe, Olympiakos, Rangers
Dropped off: Espanyol
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