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All you need to know about the Teranga Lions of Senegal ahead of AFCON 2021.
If ever there was a doubt that the ‘Golden Generation’ tag is a cursed one, look no further than Senegal. Their latest great crop of talent began its sojourn in 2017, and once again enters the 2021 edition as overwhelming favourites to finally land the title.
In keeping with their profile, Senegal came through AFCON qualifying with minimal fuss. In a group with Guinea Bissau, Congo and Eswatini, they won four out of six, finished unbeaten and only conceded twice – both, rather surprisingly, against the southern African minnows. Aliou Cisse’s side went through the entirety of 2021 without experiencing defeat, winning seven of their 10 matches in the calendar year. Only Congo, back in March, successfully kept them from finding the back of the net.
Senegal are Africa’s highest-ranked nation, and have been so – unbroken – since November 2018. In the world, they are ranked 20th.
Surprisingly for a country of Senegal’s pedigree, the Teranga Lions only have two podium finishes to speak of at the Africa Cup of Nations: 2002 when, after eliminating Nigeria, they lost a penalty shootout to Cameroon in the final, and 2019, when a deflected Baghdad Bounedjah effort denied them the gold.
They have also contested the Third Place playoff on three separate occasions, losing all of them.
Aliou Cisse is the longest-serving active manager in the competition, having been in the Senegal post since 2015. There are, however, question marks over his tactical approach, which comes across as rather basic. They were shown up by a savvier, more astute Cameroon side in 2017, and memorably fell short in the Group Stage at the World Cup in 2018.
With the amount of quality at his disposal, his unremarkable 4-4-2 has nevertheless proven adequate for dispatching undermanned opponents, and features a solid base in defensive midfield that offers the attackers the platform to make a difference.
Despite possessing a wealth of resources all over the pitch, it is to Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane that Senegal often look for inspiration. He scored in five of Senegal’s 10 matches in 2021, often operating just off the starting striker–usually Boulaye Dia or Famara Diedhiou. He is the team’s chief source of creativity in central areas, and was one of the standout players in their run to the final in the last AFCON edition.
Senegal will hope influential defender Kalidou Koulibaly recovers his best form immediately post-injury, as he is the leader of the back line; and in Edouard Mendy, Cisse has arguably the best goalkeeper in the world available to him for selection. Young player
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