At the head of Senegal since 2015, Aliou Cissé qualified his selection for the second consecutive time in the final of the African Cup. Despite the many criticisms, the former PSG player always took his team where he wanted.
The story between Aliou Cissé and Senegal is a real romance. And like all love stories, hers is made up of ups and downs. Arrived at the head of the Lions of Teranga in 2015 to succeed Alain Giresse, Aliou Cissé immediately embodied a new ideology of the African continent: the local coach. “He comes in a particular context because he didn’t even have experience as a head coach at that time. It was a first for us, but it was justified because we came out of many failures. Overall, the population was tired of giving our selection to foreign coaches without bringing any added value. Even if it means failing, as long as it’s with someone from here », recalls Babacar Ndaw, editor-in-chief of emedia Senegal. And after an interesting CAN 2017 (coming out 1st in his group, Senegal had been eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties by the future Cameroonian winner, editor’s note), he had perfectly managed the qualifications for the 2018 Cup to allow his team to regain a place in the Cup. Enough to consolidate his status as a trainer in the making. But very quickly, the Senegalese people demanded more than results. With certainly the most qualitative workforce on the continent, the supporters expected much better from a selection that did not seem capable of playing their football and really dominating their opponents. But to silence the critics, the former Senegal international still had the result on his side. “What was missing was someone who could bring discipline and raise the bar a bit to bring some order. And that comes before tactics. Aliou Cissé had this profile and several people were for his arrival. He did what was expected of him in my opinion. He dismissed the players who could have challenged his authority, he made strong decisions even if we saw his tactical limits. The team is back in the right direction.continues Babacar Ndaw.
After the Cup where his team failed to pass the group stages despite a talented generation, Aliou Cissé again brought his men to the CAN 2019 final without taking place during the competition. A feat as Senegal, despite brilliant generations, has never been able to influence African football (0 CAN). It can also be likened to a formality as Senegal’s current squad was the best (Mané, Gueye, Koulibaly, Mendy…). The Liverpool striker also very often managed to hide certain collective flaws in his team. But this time again, the Lions of Teranga will fail in the final against Algeria and will leave without the slightest trophy. And this defeat in the home stretch has further weakened Cissé’s position with the supporters. Less so with the Senegalese federation, which later reinforced it and which was above all keen to keep its local coach. “We could feel that in certain matches, he had shortcomings. We wondered if he hadn’t reached his limits, especially after the defeat in 2017 when we felt he had been beaten by Hugo Broos tactically. It was the same as the Cup with the history of yellow cards where we regretted his lack of experience. But experience is acquired by advancing. He started to mature.explains Babacar Ndaw.
He has always been unanimous in the locker room
The rest was delicate for the captain of the beautiful Senegalese epic in 2002. After this CAN 2019, many expected his departure even more after the very average performances of his team against much weaker opponents. Here again, the talent of a Mané, a Sarr allowed his team to always avoid defeat whether during the qualifications for the CAN or that of the qualifications for the 2022 Cup. Because without shining, Senegal qualified for the play-offs which will take place next March (also against Egypt). And this constant success even ended up giving hope to the supporters who ended up abandoning their fight for the beautiful game. During this CAN 2021, the Senegalese once again did not really shine, on the contrary. After notably two sad 0-0 in the group stage, they struggled to dominate a Cape Verde team in numerical inferiority during the eighth. In the quarter-finals, they showed their best just like against Burkina Faso in the semi-finals. And that is perhaps what impresses. Despite all the criticisms and remarks, Aliou Cissé is still holding on. And he even arouses the admiration of his fellow coaches. “I wanted to pay tribute to Aliou Cissé, a predecessor in the very closed circle of African technicians. He is fighting a fight that I support. African leaders must trust local technicians”even explained Kamou Malo, coach of Burkina Faso after the semi-final. “If he doesn’t win this Sunday, it will be difficult. Because apart from Algeria, no team has such a talented and experienced workforce in the last three CANs. But on the other hand, humanly, he knows how to take it. Despite the criticism, he never seemed to be touched or what. He is very strong mentally.adds Babacar Ndaw.
Aliou Cissé was not unanimous that with other coaches, he also won the respect of his players and his group. This is undoubtedly what makes the strength of his team: the collective. All admire and respect the work of their coach. “I believe this man deserves it because he is the most criticized coach I have ever seen in my life, but he never gives up. He trusts himself and he trusts the group. There are criticisms outside, but here it does its job. We would like to win for our country and for him because he deserves it after everything he has been through as a player and now as a coach.”, underlined the great star of this team Mané to the BBC after the victory against Burkina Faso. A thought shared by Abdou Diallo who emphasized the group forged by Cissé. “The atmosphere is very good. Honestly, I’ve never seen a band like this. I’ve been a professional for a few years and it’s the best band I’ve known. We are like a family and we hope to get something together, it would be nice to finish in style. Proof once again that despite the criticism and the difficulties in the choice, Aliou Cissé has united a real group capable of finally offering a trophy to the Senegalese people. After the final lost in 2019, the Lions of Teranga are attacking the giant of the African continent, Egypt, the team with 7 CANs. But with Aliou Cissé, anything is possible.
