CHAN 2022 - Pape Thiaw: "Making the Senegalese people proud"

You are on the eve of a decisive match. How are you feeling going into it?

Pape Thiaw: We're in the final, which is what we were aiming for from the start. We'll be facing an Algeria side who have shown some very good things and who will be playing in front of their own fans. They'll be driven on by the crowd, we know what to expect. We hope it will be a great final.

Which player in the Algeria team has caught your eye the most?

I can't really point to one player who has stood out. Algeria are a very strong collective. They rely heavily on the team unit. They are, for example, very dangerous from set pieces. They are also good in the way they play. That is their real strength.

Read more on the same subject: CHAN 2022: Pape Thiaw's method under the microscope

You discovered Baraki in the semi-final. It is a noisy stadium. There will be huge crowd support in the final. Have you worked on that aspect with your players?

Pape Thiaw: We'll block out that context. We know the crowd is loud and will get right behind their team. That's normal. The only thing we need is for the good Lord to be with us for this match.

Algeria have the best defence and the best attack. Do you fear that attacking strength?

Pape Thiaw: We've already played them in a friendly and drew 2-2 in Annaba. They have weaknesses too, like any team, and we'll try to counter them where they are strongest. Algeria haven't conceded a goal yet, that's true, but you could say they haven't yet faced Senegal.

You have a very young team. Could that count against you in this kind of match?

We have a young team, that's true. But as they say in Senegal: age doesn't wait. To reach a final, character comes first. I hope the players will keep showing it in this final.

You were a player in 2002 in the Africa Cup of Nations final, lost to Cameroon. Will you draw on that experience to talk to the players so they can approach this final better?

Pape Thiaw: In 2002 we lost that final and it hurt a lot. Now, as a coach, it's an honour to return to a final. When you're a coach, you want to pass on to the players what you've lived through. A final is a delicate affair. You have to try to play this match with maximum concentration so that you can then achieve success and celebrate it properly.

A year ago Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations. You are 24 hours away from being able to win the CHAN. It would be a first for a country...

Pape Thiaw: It's something that makes you dream. It's becoming a dream and above all it will be a motivation for the Senegalese people. We want to make our people proud, and local football too, which in my opinion is undervalued. We lose a lot of players in Senegal because we sell so many of them. But now we're showing what Senegal is doing on the continent. We've swept up a lot of team and individual honours and we hope to win one more.