Senegal exited early in the group stage in a heated 2018 World Cup, squeezed out by Japan and Colombia, much to the disappointment of fans. Four years on, can the team, led by Liverpool star Sadio Mane, afford to be disgraced in the Africa Cup of Nations?
On the defensive line, Senegal's strength has increased this year compared to four years ago. First of all, the team currently sits on the "first steel gate in Africa" Edouard Mendy, who has improved to become the best goalkeeper in Europe in the past year, and won second place in the Yasin Award, which has greatly increased the team's sense of stability and confidence by sitting in the defensive. In addition to him, Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly still maintains a fairly high standard in Serie A, and PSG's Abdou Diallo has also shown some strength in recent years, and Senegal's defensive line is indeed the most star-studded in the entire African arena.
At both full-backs, Bayern's Bouna Sarr and Milan's Fodé Ballo-Touré are strong full-backs; although neither is a major player in their respective teams, they can still add competitiveness to Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez in their respective positions, and are real defenders.
In midfield, Crystal Palace's Cheikhou Kouyaté and PSG's Idrissa Gana Gueye are the team's best choices in midfield, but Idrisa Gaye has not been as important and in form as he was at Everton since his move to Paris, but his sweeping power is still good.
On the offensive end, Senegal have the best frontcourt configuration in Africa (which should be on par with Côte d'Ivoire), with Liverpool core Sadio Mane, former Monaco rising star Keita Balde, Watford's Isma la Sarr and former Milan Express Mambaye Niang all available to the team. Mane's form at Liverpool this season is not as good as Salah's, but he is still an indispensable player in the team, and his skills, big picture and grasp are definitely the key to how far Senegal can go.
However, whether the team can integrate this class of stars is the biggest problem. In the 2018 World Cup, this class of stars is obviously playing out of place and fighting for each other. Compared with teams such as Egypt and Nigeria that focus on teamwork, playing the star card alone is not enough to make Senegal come to the end.