The first major football tournament of the new year will be the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite the tradition of holding this competition between national teams during the club season, the participating teams have managed to assemble their most competitive squads, bringing in their top stars. One of the teams with one of the strongest squads in the tournament is the Senegal national team, and we will discuss them in this article.
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Team’s Preparation for the Tournament
As the current champions of Africa, the Senegal national team eagerly anticipates the upcoming tournament with high hopes for another significant success. The victory in 2022 was exceptional, marking the end of a long series of disappointments for the Senegalese, and it brought a true celebration to Senegal: Sadio Mane and his teammates achieved the status of national heroes by defeating Egypt.
Following their qualification for the World Cup, the players’ reputation on the Senegal national team has grown even more. In the decisive match, they denied Egypt a spot in the World Cup. In Qatar, under the guidance of coach Sisse, they played in their third World Cup, advancing past the group stage for the second time, surpassing Ecuador.
Senegal is gradually establishing itself as the football leader of Africa. In addition to winning the Africa Cup among adults, the “Lions of Teranga” have added trophies for victories in the youth Africa Cups (U-17 and U-20) to their achievements. Senegal’s dominance on the continent is impressive, and they even became champions in the Africa Beach Soccer Cup.
The “Generation Foot” academy deserves attention, serving as the main catalyst for the development of football in Senegal. This is where young talents are nurtured, among them Amara Diouf, who recently gained worldwide recognition. Although he may not appear in the upcoming tournament (as he is only 15 years old), he could become a global football star in the near future.
Squad and Coaching Staff
Looking at Senegal’s squad, it immediately becomes clear why this team won the last Africa Cup and advanced from the group stage in the World Cup. However, significant changes occurred before the start of the 2023/24 season. Three key players (Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Eduard Mendy) decided to continue their careers in Saudi Arabia. The level of the “star” championship differs from the Premier League, Bundesliga, or Serie A, where these players previously played. It’s challenging to predict in what form they will arrive at the tournament. We will find out during the competition. The start promises to be challenging, given the strong group.
Another possible issue for the team is the lack of creative players in the central midfield. All midfielders (Gueye, Mendy, Siss, and Sarr) primarily focus on defensive tasks, which may affect their ability to create dangerous situations in attack.
Since 2015, Aliou Cisse has been coaching the Senegal national team, and he is the main driving force behind positive changes and breakthroughs in results. In his latest interview, he expressed the opinion that African teams should change their mentality and believe in their own abilities. He asserts that Africans can easily win the World Cup if they are more determined.
Prediction: Senegal will compete for the gold medal.
