Football
Ed Dove, Special to ESPN 6y

Senegal aiming to write new World Cup history

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has made no secret of his desire for his charges to emulate the Teranga Lions' previous World Cup team and write their own history in the tournament, but is downplaying his side's changes of reaching the quarter finals.

It's been over a decade and a half since Senegal made one of the most memorable debut showings at a World Cup in 2002.

As the current crop prepare to take their place among the 32 competitors at the 2018 edition, echoes of that memorable previous showing are prevalent.

In the intervening years, the Lions of Teranga failed to build on that success - and haven't been back to the global showpiece since.

However, after ending their 16-year wait for a return to the top table, Cisse is confident that they can make up for last time, as they begin their World Cup preparations with a friendly against Uzbekistan in Casablanca on Friday.

"It's already been 16 years!" he told FIFA, "and we haven't qualified for a World Cup since then.

"In 2002, we found ourselves in a group with France, the reigning world and European champions at the time, Uruguay and Denmark, but that didn't prevent us from going on a great adventure," Cisse continued.

"We didn't worry too much about the situation, the other teams, or the way we were playing; we just kept our focus and enjoyed the moment.

"After 2002, many people thought that we'd become tournament regulars, but that wasn't the case.

During the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Senegal stunned holders France in their opener, held both Denmark and Uruguay to draws, and then downed Sweden with a golden goal in their Last 16 clash.

Their adventure ended with an extra-time defeat by Turkey in a memorable quarter final in Osaka, but after becoming only the second African nation - after Cameroon in 1990 - to reach the final eight, they appeared destined for great things.

Senegal would finish fourth at the Nations Cup in 2006 following a quarter-final finish in 2004, but they missed out on the World Cup that same year after being pipped by Togo during the qualifying campaign.

They failed to reach the 2010 or 2014 events, and even missed out on the Nations Cup in 2013 as the final embers of the 2002 generation departed from the international scene.

"Finally, we're back," added Cisse, who was a member of Bruno Metsu's squad 16 years ago. "Obviously a lot of comparisons are being drawn with that generation, but that team already created its bit of history, and now it's up to this one to create its own.

"We would also love to reach the quarter finals, but even if we didn't make it out of our group we could still have a good World Cup," he added. "We've got a young squad with a lot of talent, but they lack experience at the highest level.

"We'll have to go there without an insecurity complex, play our natural game and stick to our African identity, which defines our football."

In truth, the current Senegal squad has much more pedigree than the 2002 generation, with the nation's footballers becoming much more commonplace in Europe's major leagues since the Teranga Lions' emergence on the international scene.

16 years ago, all but two of Senegal's 23-man squad played in France, with the Africa-based reserve goalkeepers the exceptions.

Of that team, future African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf and Tony Sylva had won French titles with Racing Club de Lens and AS Monaco respectively, but there was precious little in the way of high-profile European stars in the squad.

After their run in Japan and South Korea the status of that collective were transformed.

Diouf and Salif Diao would join Liverpool, to mixed success, Khalilou Fadiga signed for Internazionale and Habib Beye made the step up from Strasbourg to Marseille.

The likes of Henri Camara, Amdy, Faye, Papa Bouba Diop, as well as Cisse and Beye, would all ultimately make their way to the Premier League.

By contrast, the current Lions squad is a much more cosmopolitan outfit, packed with familiar faces and established stars.

Centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is one of Serie A's finest defenders, while Everton's Idrissa Gueye has consistently been one of the most effective central midfielders since joining Aston Villa from LOSC Lille in 2015.

The likes of Pape Souare, Papy Djilobodji, Armand Traore, Cheikhou Kouyate, Henri Saivet and Badou Ndiaye all play in the Premier League or have played for PL clubs, and the attacking unit boasts a diverse and menacing array of talent.

Keita Balde, for example, still only 23, joined Monaco for €30 million in the summer after netting 16 Serie A goals for Lazio, while M'Baye Niang and Ismaila Sarr give Senegal the kind of options in wide areas that many of their World Cup rivals would envy.

Then there's Liverpool's Sadio Mane.

He may not - yet - have earned the individual acclaim of his Anfield predecessor Diouf, but the reigning Reds Footballer of the Year's impact on Merseyside has already dwarfed that of the controversial 37-year-old.

"I would like us to start off in that same frame of mind; I want my boys to concentrate on their own game, to have fun and to not be overly concerned about who is watching them around the world," Cisse concluded. "If we can manage to be ourselves, to enjoy the experience and at the same time adopt a serious approach, then we might just surprise a few people again."

There's no reason why, individually or as a collective, this Senegal squad have any reason to travel to Russia with an inferiority complex, and a first-round group containing Poland, Colombia and Japan gives them every chance of progress.

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