The Kids Are Alright

On September 29^th, Senegal took on South Africa in Durban for an international friendly. After the disastrous AFCON 2012 and the sacking of Amara Traoré, this was seen as a possible new start for the Teranga Lions.

Indeed the 22-men selection from interim coach, Karim Sega Diouf, reflected this new start. In the team selected, 9 players were brought over from the U-23 squad [that will be participating for the Olympic Games] and as many from the AFCON squad were absent.

The game against South Africa ended in a goal-less draw. It was not the most exciting as very few chances were created from either side. South Africa were however the better side, in terms of chance created, but were denied by an inspired Bouna Coundoul who kept the Bafana Bafana at bay. What was so refreshing & surprising about the game was how many of the U-23 players actually played. Out of a the 9 U-23 players brought in, 5 of them made the starting XI and a sixth one came on as a sub. Even more surprising was that they were found along the spine of the team. The central defense was composed of U-23 captain, Abdoulaye Ba, and Papa Gueye. Ba particularly impressed me. He was serene in possession and very graceful on the field. Having been used to watching Souleymane Diawara & Kader Mangane back there, seeing a player that was so silky smooth made an immediate impression. He read the game well & came up with some critical interventions. His positioning was very good too I thought, as he very rarely had to lunge to win the ball back. In midfield, Idrissa Gueye played alongside Ricardo Faty and both showed lots of character whilst Moussa Konate played as a right forward.

On technical level, the new recruits showed that they had what it took to stake a claim in the team. However it is on the mentality they showed that I was particularly impressed. Playing away against a much more experienced side and in the difficult context we all know it to be [with the AFCON 2012 failure] it was not evident for the U-23 players to succeed. Yes they were not tainted by what had happened in Bata but there existed a conscientiousness within them to play in order to make the Senegalese fans proud [of the team] once again. On that alone I can only congratulate the new kids who have thoroughly impressed me and even if the game ended in a draw, well I can honestly say that it was a victory as far as I'm concerned.