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Scouting
Report
Style of play: Even though Senegal employs a
traditional 4-4-2 formation, French coach Bruno Metsu
is an advocate of laissez-faire soccer. He gives his
players free rein to roam the pitch as they see fit.
As a result, Senegal is an enthusiastic and entertaining
squad to watch and is adept at reorganizing itself as
the complexion of the game changes. Senegal relies heavily
on its powerful midfield to drive its offensive attack
by providing long balls and high crosses that force
its strikers to run into open space. Service to the
two strikers sometimes comes from the wing-backs who
move forward down the flanks before cutting to the inside
and delivering quick, accurate passes along the ground.
Strengths:
Goalkeeping -- Tony Sylva is one of the best
goalkeepers in Africa, combining excellent reflexes,
superb positioning and pure athleticism. He is also
very decisive when he leaves his line. He'll provide
a strong last line of defence behind Senegal's quartet
of defenders.
Strength in midfield -- Salif Diao and Bouba Pape Diop
are excellent ball-winners that can mark opposing playmakers
completely out of the game. Diao is also very dangerous
when pushing forward to provide support for Senegal's
strikers.
Offensive Speed -- Both El Hadji Diouf and Henri
Camara possess blinding quickness and use it to effortlessly
streak past opposing defenders. They also use their
speed to good effect when they run into the penalty
area to get under long, high passes from midfield.
Weaknesses:
One-dimensional attack -- Senegal's scoring fortunes
rest primarily on its midfielders and their ability
to feed their strikers with passes. If opposing teams
can win the battle of ball possession in midfield, Senegal's
offence becomes instantly shut down.
Central defence -- Centre-backs Aliou Cisse and
Lamine Diatta are not very quick and are often beaten
by fast strikers who break down the middle of the pitch.
They also have trouble getting back to cover long balls
from midfield that are sent over their heads and into
their own penalty area.
Inexperience -- Senegal has never competed in
a World Cup, and only a handful of its players have
earned more than 25 caps. Look for France, Uruguay and
Denmark to use their guile and savvy to expose Senegal's
inexperience during the opening round.
Key injuries/omissions:
No injuries to report.
Outlook:
Senegal qualified for its first World Cup after surviving
a very tough qualifying group that included established
African giants Morocco, Egypt and Algeria. Senegal is
also coming off an impressive African Nations Cup, where
it lost to Cameroon on penalty-kicks in the final. Although
the bulk of Senegal's players see plenty of first-team
action for top clubs in Le Championnat, coach Bruno
Metsu's squad is still inexperienced in international
play. Fate has not been kind to the Senegalese, as they
have been drawn into Group A with defending World Cup
champions France, South American stalwarts Uruguay and
pesky Denmark. This tournament will be a learning experience
for Senegal; they'll likely finish at the bottom of
the group.
The
Country
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Capital: Dakar
Area: 196,190 sq km
Population:9,987,494 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Republic under multiparty democratic
rule.
Climate: Tropical: hot, humid; rainy season
(May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season
(December to April) dominated by hot, dry wind.
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer
14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European
and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%.
Religions: Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%,
Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic).
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar,
Jola, Mandinka.
History: After gaining independence from France
in 1960, Senegal joined with Gambia in forming the confederation
of Senegambia in 1982. The proposed integration of the
two countries never materialized, and the union fell
apart in 1989. Senegal is noted for its active participation
in international peacekeeping.
The
Community in Canada
There aren't a lot of Senegalese in Canada with the
exception of a good-sized pocket in Montreal. Those
fans may find themselves at the Teranga restaurant on
St.-Laurent for the opening match.
French-speaking West African fans will maintain individual
team support as far as their own countries go and then
pool behind those who continue to advance through the
rounds. There might be a pan-Franco groundswell of support
for the Senegalese, now that the Africans underdogs
have gone through to the second round and the 1998 champions
from France have been eliminated from the tournament.
Although the team is a definite longshot, Senegal does
at least have some stellar support in world music superstar
Youssou N'Dour who composed and sang the official song
of the 1998 World Cup, "The Beauty of the World at Play".
His pick of who to watch this year?
"Ferdinand Coly is my favourite. He is strong and simple,
and I like that style "
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