Senegal: Three Players to Keep an Eye on at the 2018 World Cup

Photo credit: Dan Mullan/Getty Images Europe-Zimbio

Senegal, having qualified for the World Cup out of Africa’s Group D Qualification group, boasts one of the most athletic teams coming to Russia this summer.  This team has talent everywhere (except for goalkeeper) all along the pitch. The problem is that, with the exception of Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, most of that talent is very young and very raw.  If the talent of this team wins out over the inexperience, the “Lions of Teranga” could go a lot further in this tournament than expected. If this sounds familiar, Senegal has a history of exceeding expectations, much like in South Korea/Japan in 2002 when they made it all the way to the Quarterfinals.

Sadio Mane (Winger, 24, Liverpool):

Sadio Mane has absolutely blistering pace on the field and this offers him a wealth of opportunities at goal, especially on the counterattack.  He isn’t always the most clinical of finishers but his creativity and pace have made him a heavy contributor to Liverpool’s “Heavy Metal Football”, scoring 20 goals across all competitions for the Mercyside club.  While Mane seems to light it up for his club, he has slightly under-performed for country, only netting 14 goals in 53 appearances. That being said, Mane has been a dynamo this past season and will be called upon to lead a very young but very talented young group of forward for Senegal in Russia.

Kalidou Koulibaly (Centre back, 26, Napoli):

Standing at 6 feet and 5 inches, Kalidou Koulibaly is a mountain of a centre back for any forward to deal with.  Currently plying his trade for Italian club, Napoli, Koulibaly (along with Everton’s Idrissa Gueye) will serve as the spine for a team with very solid defenders throughout the pitch but a less than desirable goalkeeping situation. With his height and agility, he should be a nightmare at both defending set pieces and scoring off of them.  Koulibaly is a world class defender playing for a team that will sorely need world class defending. He has been linked in transfer rumors to clubs like Barcelona and Chelsea, so if you haven’t seen much of him yet, you might be seeing him a lot more on the world stage in the near future

Keita Balde (Forward, 23, Monaco) and Ismaila Sarr (Winger, 20, Rennes):

I know I’m cheating with having two players listed here but honestly, depending on what kind of tactics that manager, Aliou Cisse, goes with, either one of these attacking players can make a name for themselves on the world stage.  Balde, the 23 year old forward playing in Monaco, is brilliant dribbler and finessing his way through organized and stout defenses. He plays as if he has the ball attached to his feet on a string. Betweem Balde and Sarr, Balde is the more prolific scorer, having notched 8 goals for a very solid club like Monaco.  Sarr, on the other hand, is a player with extraordinary pace. He is the greener of the two players, at only 20 years old, but his speed is so prolific, that it could be a game changer. He actually reminds me of a very raw Sadio Mane. The reason I listed both of these two players together is that, for the Senegalese National team, neither has done much…but they have the skill and athleticism to do so much for this team and can hopefully make a showing at this tournament and really make a name for themselves.

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