Who are Senegal’s key players that England need to watch out for?
- Zak Anderton
- 2 December 2022
England take on Senegal in Sunday’s round of 16 clash at the 2022 World Cup, but who do Gareth Southgate’s men need to be wary of?
One of they key names that will be missing from this list is Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane. The forward suffered an injury before the start of the World Cup which has ruled him out for the entirety of the tournament.
This is a massive blow to the Lions of Teranga but, they have still managed to score five goals in their three group stages matches, all from different players.
Planet Sport takes a deep dive into Aliou Cisse's side and highlights the key players who could give England a bit of a headache when they face each other on December 4 (kick-off 1900 GMT).
Ismalia Sarr
One of the better-known players on this list is Ismalia Sarr. The Watford winger is widely regarded as Senegal's second-best player after Mane. The pressure has been on him to fill Mane's large boots.
He has started every game for Cisse's side and has only missed 15 minutes of the tournament so far.
The 24-year-old has been linked with several major moves back to the Premier League, after Watford were relegated at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Sarr has scored 11 goals for Senegal in 51 appearances, with one of those coming in this year's World Cup against Ecuador, a coolly taken penalty, having won the spot-kick himself.
Though predominantly a right-winger, he can swap sides which could cause England's wing-backs issues.
Like many wingers he likes to cut inside and often slows himself down in one-on-one situations to try invite the opposition to lunge for the ball. A trick that works surprisingly often. Sarr is the currently the most fouled player at the tournament.
Sarr is also a danger from long range and will shoot from the outside the area if he can't see a passing opportunity.
His pace could cause Luke Shaw problems and expect Senegal to exploit this area of the pitch.
Boulaye Dia
Boulaye Dia plays on loan for Salernitana in the Serie A and has also started every game during the World Cup.
The explosive 26-year-old striker is a major threat to Southgate's defence as both John Stones and Maguire have little pace or acceleration.
To prove this point the majority of Dia's goals come from balls being played in behind opponents.
Despite being the focal point of Senegal's attack, Dia has only scored one goal at the 2022 World Cup against a weak Qatar side.
The goal was hardly a collector's item but it was a real poacher's finish, the striker picking up a loose ball inside the area before smashing it into the bottom left corner.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Arguably one of the world's best defenders, Kalidou Kouliably has an eye for a goal and is extremely dangerous in the air.
He showed his value to the team at both ends of the pitch with the winning goal which secured the vital victory over Ecuador.
The Chelsea centre back only stands at 6ft 1in but his jumping ability is what really stands him out from the crowd. Nearly half of his goals at club level have come from headers.
As well as being a colossus in the air, Kouliably's defensive capabilities are impeccable. He is rarely caught out of position and commands his back line to ensure they keep to his high standards. He has made the most clearances at the tournament so far.
His physical presence is also a key danger point England need to be wary of as, as Harry Kane and his fellow attackers will know they've been in a tussle. However, he can be prone to giving away free-kicks.
Kouliably is a big game player and is not one crumbling under the pressure. At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, the defender kept Egypt's Mohamed Salah in his pocket for the entirety of the game.
Over 230 games for Napoli in Serie A and 67 for Senegal is experience that can't be sniffed at either.
Bamba Dieng
Bamba Dieng has been used as an impact sub for Senegal during the 2022 World Cup. He has often come on in around the 70-minute mark and has provided some fresh attacking legs for Cisse's team.
Dieng came on to sweep home the third goal in the 3-1 win over Qatar during the group stages of the World Cup.
This tactic of bringing on a fast, explosive player towards the latter end of the match could be very exploitative to England's back line as we've already established, they aren't the quickest.
Dieng has only been used a bit part player at Marseille too this season, with only one goal in six games in Ligue 1. So you could argue he's not had a lot of game time and isn't very prolific either. Ten goals in 46 games for the French club and two in 16 for Senegal would back this up.
His playing style is similar to that of Dia's hence why the pair haven't started together yet. He can also be deployed on either wing and has scored penalties in pressure situations. He tucked his AFCON final penalty away.
Youssouf Sabaly
Alongside Koulibaly, Yossouf Sabaly has been a rock in Senegal's defence throughout the World Cup. He has played every minute of the tournament so far and in his last two games has been close to scooping man-of-match awards in both. Not bad for a right-back.
Sabaly was a part of the Paris Saint-Germain set up early on during his career but has found himself in Spain's top flight, playing for Real Betis. Throughout the World Cup, he has won 100% of his tackles and has won 67% of the duels he has faced.
By trade, he is a right-back but he has been deployed on the left on occasion. He could be a tough customer for England as he has been one of the best defenders at the tournament so far, and Southgate's forwards will have to be at their best to get past him.
Sabaly has a pass accuracy of 87% which is high for a defender. He also has a strong cross which could cause problems for England's defence.
Krepin Diatta
The winger signed for Monaco in the summer and has been a regular member of their starting 11. During the 2022 World Cup, however, he has been in and around Cisse's team, failing to cement his spot and missing out on the Ecuador game entirely.
However, England still need to watch out for the winger as his stamina and speed are second to none. He can often be found powering up and down the wing no matter what point of the game it is.
If Senegal decide to keep both Diatta and Dieng on the bench until the final 20 minutes, this extra injection of pace could cause England a problem late in the game.
Diatta hasn't been able to contribute to Senegal's fortunes just yet, but as the Best Young Player of the AFCON 2019 tournament, he could be one of the unsung Senegal players that gives England a scare.
Eduoard Mendy
The Chelsea goalkeeper may have had his form questioned for his club but for his country he remains an important player.
However, he has yet to keep a clean sheet at the tournament and had a terrible game against the Netherlands and was arguably at fault for both goals. Although he did pull off several world class saves against Qatar.
He will need a big performance against Gareth Southgate's side, which he is very capable of.
