The Senegalese coach drew lessons from the match between Senegal and Brazil (November 15), which ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Lions at the Emirates Stadium in London.
This November’s international break was marked by the end of the Lions’ winning streak against Brazil. After 26 matches without a loss, Pape Thiaw’s men were brought back to reality against a vengeful Brazilian side who had gone two matches without a win against the Lions.
And while this defeat has slowed the Lions’ excellent momentum, there are still lessons to be learned just a few days before the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I think we could have played with a mid-block, but the team had a clear idea of how to play and hold their own against Brazil. It was about playing the ball out cleanly from the back, but unfortunately, the opposition caused us problems in that area by pressing our defensive midfielder (Pape Gueye) and the goalkeeper, who didn’t want to clear the ball. Now we’ve seen the result, and our opponents at the AFCON can try to do the same thing,” Coach Cheikh Gueye told Wiwsport.
