Getting Mane to fire is the poser
UNIMPRESSED: COACH CISSE SAYS HE MUST STEP IT UP
Senegalese under pressure, but Colombians come into match on a high.
Senegal must cut out the defensive errors and find a way to get Sadio Mane firing like he does for Liverpool if they are to tame Colombia today and reach the World Cup last-16.
Coach Aliou Cisse was critical of his pacy and powerful side after their 2-2 draw with Japan on Sunday, saying their opponents were the better team, and called on forward Mane to step it up.
“Frankly, we were not very good,” concluded Cisse, Senegal captain in their run to the quarterfinals in 2002, their only previous appearance at a World Cup.
Cisse was particularly unhappy with the way Senegal twice threw away the lead in Yekaterinburg.
Substitute Keisuke Honda’s leveller, 12 minutes from time, was an especially poor goal to give away as goalkeeper Khadim N’Diaye flapped at a cross.
Victory would have all but propelled Senegal into the last-16, and in Samara they will face a Colombian side who have their tails up following a 3-0 win over Poland.
Going into the final round of games in Group H, Japan and Senegal have four points, Colombia have three and pointless Poland are already eliminated. A draw for Cisse’s side will be enough to progress.
Belgium and England await whichever teams make it out of Group H.
Senegal were far from convincing against Japan and even though Mane scored the opener, it had a large dose of good luck about it.
The 26-year-old, coming off the back of a successful season at Anfield that saw Liverpool reach the Champions League final, was peripheral after that.
Cisse, who needs to find a way to get Mane more involved, was unimpressed.
“He is a player with a lot of expectations and he is one of the players under the spotlight,” he said. “He was better than against Poland and he needs to do better against Colombia.”
Colombia became the first South American side to lose to an Asian one at a World Cup when they were beaten 2-1 by Japan in their opener. But there were mitigating circumstances – they played most of the game with 10 men after Carlos Sanchez was dismissed for handball.
Coach Jose Pekerman was also unable to call on injured James Rodriguez from the start.
But the midfielder, one of the stars of the World Cup four years ago when Colombia marched to the quarterfinals, returned against the Poles with an impressive performance.
Radamel Falcao, Yerry Mina and Juan Cuadrado scored in a stylish victory, but Pekerman hinted afterwards that he might tinker for Senegal.
“When I make the starting lineup, I do it taking account of the whole context in which we find ourselves,” the Argentine said. –