The scheme
Many experts believe that this could be Senegal’s year and that they have the best chance of any African team to go to the World Cup’s quarterfinals.
The Lions were crowned African champions for the first time in February and have been at the top of their game for a while, having reached two Africa Cup of Nations finals (the other came in 2019) and qualifying for two World Cups in a row. The team is brimming with confidence, and the expectations at home are so high that winning the tournament is not out of the question.
Before the postponed 2021 Afcon in Cameroon, the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, delivered a speech that seemed to excite the team more than before.
“A lion cannot be terrified,” replied Sall. “This time… we must go and bring back this trophy, as the nation has been patiently waiting for so many years. Make 2021 the year of Cameroon’s victory through resolve and bravery.” The comments had the desired impact; it remains to be seen what this team can do on the international scene.
By winning their group and then defeating Egypt in a playoff, Senegal qualified for Qatar. Aliou Cissé favors a 4-3-3 system, but left-back Saliou Ciss, who excelled at the 2021 African Cup of Nations, has been without a club since leaving Nancy in the summer.
Sadio Mané is the main point up front, with Nampalys Mendy (Leicester), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), and Idrissa Gueye (Everton) all in competition for the midfield position.
The trainer
Since 2015, Aliou Cissé has been in charge and has been instrumental in Senegal’s march to the top. As a defensive midfielder with more bark and bite than raw talent, he was a member of Senegal’s 2002 Afcon and 2002 World Cup championship teams.
Cissé, who was an assistant coach when Senegal qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 2012, chose to build the team in his image, which included a focus on courage and discipline, after assuming the head coaching position. He discarded several well-known players, including Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé, and Papy Djilobodji. In addition, he prohibited hookahs and any goods, including flash watches, that could be interpreted as a lack of humility. “We referred to him as the dictator,” a player revealed anonymously. He told us, ‘This is how I operate; those who do not accept the rules are asked to go.’
Star athlete
Sadio Mané is a superhero in Senegal. For a long time, he was known by the derogatory moniker “Samba Alar,” which meant that he was viewed as a player who excelled for his club but failed to perform for the national team. His penalty miss at the 2017 Afcon finals, which led to the team’s elimination in the quarterfinals, heightened this weight. However, the label is now obsolete. Mané has earned the title of the greatest footballer in Senegal’s history. He has elevated the national team to a new level as the only current player from his country who is often mentioned in Ballon d’Or discussions.
Unsung hero
Boulaye Dia has dual nationality, having grown up in France, unlike Sadio Mané, who was born and reared in Senegal. He did not join the national squad until 2020, and it took him some time to establish himself owing to the fierce competition for forward positions. Now, he is, nonetheless, one of the first names on the roster. He can play on the right or as a No. 9 and, most importantly, has a strong rapport with Mané. Dia scored the first goal in the newly inaugurated national stadium in Dakar, which contributed to Senegal’s qualification for this World Cup. He has had a successful season on loan at Salernitana in Italy’s Serie A after experiencing mixed results with Villarreal in Spain. Recently, he told La Gazzetta Dello Sport that he did not have a childhood football idol because his family did not own a television and hence he was unable to watch games.
