AFCON 2021: Senegal – Team guide, key players and full fixtures

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 one of the longest-serving managers 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.

Marseille’s Bamba Dieng was a tempting pick, but Senegal have so many strikers that he is unlikely to see much playing time. Look out instead for Pape Matar Sarr, whose glittering performances have already seen him snapped up by Premier League side Tottenham. A modern midfielder with range, both in his movement and in the breadth of roles he can play, the Metz man can dominate opposing midfields in Cameroon if afforded an opportunity. That is if, of course, Cisse resists the urge to play him out wide.

Edouard Mendy; Bouna Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Saliou Ciss; Pape Matar Sarr, Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, Keita Balde; Sadio Mane, Boulaye Dia.

Even with Ismaila Sarr likely to miss out altogether and Koulibaly short of full fitness, Senegal are one of the big favourites for the crown in Cameroon. Any less would feel like a disappointment. A potentially tough quarterfinal awaits though, and in tournament football, the margins can be extremely fine, especially for a team that plays like less than the sum of its parts.