Gareth Southgate insists Sadio Mane’s absence will NOT ‘make a difference’ in clash with Senegal
Gareth Southgate insists the absence of ‘incredible’ Sadio Mane will ‘NOT make a difference’ in England’s Round of 16 clash with Senegal as he hails the AFCON champions for showing ‘team spirit’ without him
- Gareth Southgate has insisted that Senegal will provide a tough test for England
- African champions will be without their talisman Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane
- But Southgate believes the squad have grown closer in progressing without him
- Senegal qualified for the knockout stage after finishing second in Group A
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Gareth Southgate has insisted that the absence of Sadio Mané from the Senegal team doesn’t mean England will necessarily be favourites for their last 16 clash against the African champions.
Former Liverpool star Mané injured his knee in a Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich on November 8th and lost his race to be fit for the World Cup, after having played the decisive role in leading them to the African Nations trophy last year, scoring the winning penalty.
But Southgate said that with Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester’s Nampalys Mendy, Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, Senegal still have more than enough quality to worry any team.
Gareth Southgate has insisted England face a stern test in their Round of 16 clash vs Senegal
Southgate said: ‘I think Sadio is an incredible player and every team would want to have him but they have become strong in his absence and shown great spirit through losing him. We know it doesn’t make a difference to the level of the fixture tomorrow [Sat]. We have to be prepared and at our very best
‘We’re very impressed with them. They’re African champions, a very proud nation, they’re great competitors with lots of belief and excellent individual players who cause problems and bring problems. Alou Cisse [the coach] has done a fine job. They were very unlucky not to qualify for the last 16 in Russia and they deservedly did it this time, so we know task ahead of us.
‘The Senegalese players in the Premier League – and some guys in the Championship who are really Premier League players – have enriched our game, as have players from around the world.’
Mane suffered a knee injury in November and was unable to recover in time for the tournament
Southgate also revealed that it was getting tougher to target teams with set pieces, a strength of England at the 2018 World Cup.
‘We haven’t been as effective from set plays as we’d like to be yet, so there is room for improvement. We go through the same process every game and try to find areas to exploit but every team is reviewing their set plays and making adjustments [when they make mistakes.]
‘So, with set plays and throw ins now, you have a battle just to get ball on to the pitch [and into danger areas]. Every team getting better at those small details.’
Southgate hailed Senegal’s stars such as Edouard Mendy (left) and Kalidou Koulibaly (right)
