AFCON 2025 (Q) - Senegal: Cheikh Sidy Ba says "There are a lot of negatives in the Lions' play"

After a draw with Burkina Faso on Friday, Senegal beat Burundi 1-0 on Monday. What is your assessment of these first two matchdays of qualifying for AFCON 2025?

My assessment of the first two qualifying matchdays for AFCON 2025 is that Senegal made a poor start to their campaign, drawing at home (06 September) after conceding in the last minute against Burkina Faso. For me, we didn't see a Senegalese side on the front foot: they played the whole second half without creating a chance, and didn't win a single corner in the entire match. So we saw a Senegal team in difficulty in the first game against Burkina Faso, and the Lions dropped two points at home. You could say Senegal have got off to a bad start in this qualifying phase.

Then, against Burundi this Monday 09 September, we saw a Senegal side who won with difficulty. With all due respect to Burundi, for me Senegal are far superior. Unfortunately, Senegal won with a very soft penalty, one that might not have been given. But those are decisions that go your way sometimes and against you in other situations. This one went Senegal's way to win the match and take the three points. It lets the Senegalese rebuild their mental state and regain the confidence they had lost at the end of the Burkina Faso game. For me, the two matchdays were mixed, and Senegal can do better. Let's hope this is just the start and that what follows will be even better.

Read also: AFCON 2025 (Q): Burundi lodge appeal after controversy against Senegal

Qualif #CAN2025 🌍: Ismaila Sarr 🇸🇳 converts a penalty won by Mané. Senegal lead 🦁 pic.twitter.com/3Mpr3aG9cd

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In terms of play, we keep seeing the same difficulties in the quality of the football. How do you explain that?

The problems in the team's play didn't start today; they've been there for ages. Senegal win without dominating, without convincing, without having possession or control of the game, and I think this is nothing new. For me it's a problem of player positioning, a problem of how the play is built, a whole host of problems. There are a lot of negatives in the Lions' play. Senegal play more in transition than through possession, in situations of imbalance. For me, it's the coach who wants it that way, it's the technical staff who want it that way. Since 2015 (the arrival of Aliou Cissé, editor's note) it hasn't changed, and I don't think we'll see a change in Senegal's play any time soon.

Going forward, Senegal have struggled for several months. In six of their last seven matches, the team has scored just one goal each time. How do you explain this lack of cutting edge despite the talent available?

We can see Senegal have problems going forward. For me, it's a problem with the attacking play. There is also a problem with using players in the positions they play. For a long time we've seen plenty of centre-forwards come and go in this national team, but none of them strings goals together game after game. It's not a problem with the quality of our centre-forwards, it's a problem with how they're used. I think there is a problem with how the play is built to get our centre-forwards firing and show them at their best. Our strikers play more as target men than anything else. There isn't enough work being done behind them to put them in a really good position to finish the job. Today we see our centre-forwards running a lot and defending a lot. Fine, modern football demands that everyone runs and defends. But we see in other teams that everybody works for the centre-forward who is there to finish the job. Unfortunately, here our strikers are often absent when it comes to finishing, and if you're not there to finish, you can't score. For me it's an overall problem: attacking play, positioning, and confidence too. Because every time we change, no centre-forward will have the confidence he needs, and I think these are things that must be fixed as quickly as possible.

"Players must be used in the positions where they excel"

Aliou Cissé swapped the 3-5-2 of recent outings for a flexible 4-3-3 against Burundi. Do you think this shows the coach is evolving tactically, or is it just a way of silencing the critics?

Unfortunately he didn't swap his 3-5-2 for a 4-3-3. He said himself that he used 3 centre-backs (Koulibaly, Niakhaté, Formose Mendy). That means he is keeping his back-three system. For me, since he started using this system we haven't seen any improvement, we haven't seen very good things, we haven't seen fluidity in the play, which shows that even the players have problems with it. Let's not forget Sadio Mané's outburst recently (against DR Congo, 1-1 draw on 06 June 2024). That means this is a system that causes problems for the players. We need to find solutions, we need to find the best formula for this national team. For me, it's a system that doesn't suit the profiles of players Senegal have. Senegal won the AFCON with a 4-3-3, many matches with that system, or the 4-4-2. I think today we have to go back to those old systems. That's where the players feel most comfortable, where they find their bearings. With this 3-5-2 we have a lot of difficulties. We saw it at the last AFCON and in the national team's latest matches. I think we have to go back to what gave us our glory days to see a better Senegal team.

What is getting the public talking right now is the use of Habib Diarra. Brilliant in midfield at Strasbourg, he is being used as a right wing-back for the national team. What do you think?

On the use of Habib Diarra, we saw that he tries to do his best in the position he is given. That shows it isn't his preferred position. We know his position is central midfield, and we see what he does well at Strasbourg, yet today he is brought into the national team to play as a wing-back. If it were a role with more attacking responsibility, I could have understood. But he's used as a wing-back, where he has more defensive work to do than attacking. We know Habib; his main qualities are above all in attack. Unfortunately it's the coach's choice, he picks his men, he places them, and for me it's a bad choice. He must use players in the positions where they excel, where they are at their best. Otherwise, when they are used in positions where they have to adapt, there are always difficulties, and they don't perform as we would like, as is expected of them.

What must Aliou Cissé do to improve this team's performance?

He must use players in the positions where they excel; that would make a lot of things easier. And perhaps also drop this 3-5-2 system and use the one in which the players feel most comfortable, the system with which the national team became African champions. For me that's the best solution, because at the moment we have seen a Senegal side in real difficulty in their latest matches, a team struggling, whose play is not up to the level of its players' quality. And for me there is a reset to be done. The technical staff must change a lot of things. The players also bear some responsibility, they are the ones on the pitch. They must take responsibility and try to give even more to lift Senegal's level so they are better than what we see at the moment.