World Cup: Senegal’s direct style could see them top Group H
Senegal brushed aside Poland to come away with a 2-1 victory in their opening game of this year’s World Cup.
Group H of the World Cup has been full of surprises so far as Japan overcame 10-man Colombia while the Lions of Teranga subdued a poor Polish side who were seen as pre-match favourites for this game.
This has been in keeping with the theme of the World Cup so far. Senegal employed a direct approach, which prioritised getting the ball to the forwards as quickly as possible.
They were able to cut up opposition play in the midfield and defensive thirds through their ball-winning midfielders: Idrissa Gueye and Badou N’Diaye.
However, Gueye in particular was precise with his forward passing which initiated multiple counter-attacks.
Key man Sadio Mane started on the left, but often had a free role as a ‘No. 10’ when in possession, so he could drift into dangerous areas to create overloads.
Although he did also contribute to the defensive shape by keeping pressure on the ball when it entered their half.
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The goals came from a deflection and a bit of opportunism from M’Baye Niang after a Grzegorz Krychowiak mistake, but they were fully deserved based on the performance.
Their next game is against Japan, so that should be a battle for top spot. Therefore, they are in a great place and should be confident of getting a result against the Blue Samurai.
Any criticism of Poland needs to also point out that Aliou Cisse set Senegal out perfectly, and forced Poland to go long and use set pieces.
Their goal was a Krychowiak header from a Kamil Grosicki free kick, but it was too late. They stifled Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik because they restricted service to them, with Kalidou Koulibaly marshalling his back line well.
How far can they go?
Their focus will be on qualifying for the knockouts because they still have tough games remaining against Japan and Colombia. However, they are in a great position and should be reasonably confident.
It’s highly likely that they will have Belgium or England in the Round of Sixteen depending on their group finish.
They have the attacking players and defensive solidity to produce a result against either of them if luck goes their way.
The quarter-finals are a realistic target for them, but teams such as Germany or Brazil should be able to dispatch them at that stage.
There is a chance of them playing Mexico, though, through luck of the draw, which would they fancy based on their record at tournaments. However, El Tri were really impressive against Germany.
Senegal’s major issue is the lack of game management. It’s great that they want to be positive right until the end, but it could cost them.
Against Poland, they ended up putting more pressure on themselves by not moving play into the corners when they had play in the opposition final third near the end.
Knockout round fixtures are often separated by slim margins, so they are just increasing the chance of conceding a late goal. It’s certainly something they need to work on.
Next: Why Salah alone was never going to be enough for Egypt
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