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Metsu shows why he's coach of the year


Moussa N'Ddaye worked the Senegalese right flank tirelessly against Ffance

Senegal's coach Bruno Metsu is extremely modest about the line-up choices he has employed in the World Cup.

"Up to now my tactics have worked," he told African Sport. The Frenchman has been through the coaching manual in the West African nation's Far East adventure.

The reality is that his choices have been nothing less than inspirational and a real lesson to other African coaches in how to harness the talent at their disposal. The current African coach of the year is a certainty to hang on to his crown in next year's poll. In fact it will be a Senegalese sweep, but that is another story.

The great thing also about the success Metsu has had is that he has had to react to different situations.

Coming into the World Cup the favoured Senegalese line-up was a notional 4-4-2, with Henri Camara playing slightly behind El Hadji Diouf on the Senegalese right and Khalilou Fadiga getting forward as much as possible on the left side of midfield. Proof of the success of this line-up was reaching the final of the African Nations Cup in Mali.

However, a run of poor form from the defence in particular prompted a rethink , just a week before the World Cup kicked off. France expected to face a four man midfield which they could dominate, but instead Metsu employed five solid, well-disciplined players who time and again were able to stifle France's creative output.

When they did get through the midfield, France found tall, powerful defenders suffocating their highly rated forwards.

Midfielder Amdy Faye explains: "in all our warm-up games we played a 4-3-1-2, with Fadiga placed in the middle behind the attackers. Against France Bruno told Khali [Fadiga] to play wide on the left, and Moussa [Ndiaye] to shuttle up and down the right, to block up the midfield."

There were two other keys to the success. One was Diouf's role was also a key one as the lone forward able to exploit the lack of pace at the heart of the French defence. The other was the way Fadiga and Moussa Ndiaye on the flanks worked hard to cut off the attacking runs of the French full-backs, Thuram and Lizarazeu.

Metsu started the same way against Denmark in the second game, but when Senegal found themselves a goal down at half-time and needing to force the game, he switched to an orthodox 3-4-3 by bringing on Henri and Souleymane Camara in place of Pape Sarr in defence and Moussa Ndiaye on the right of midfield. With parity restored and the point needing preserving off came substitute Souleymane Camara and on came an extra defender Habib Beye and a return to 4-4-2.

In the third group game it was a return to the old trusted 4-4-2 against Uruguay before suspensions to Salif Diao and Fadiga brought another tactical switch for the second round against Sweden.

This time Metsu favoured a 4-3-3 set-up with Diouf, Henri Camara (who was to prove the match winner) and Pape Thiaw making his first start. Camara tucked in on the right as much as possible to help the more defensive midfield of Aliou Cisse, Faye and Pape Bouba Diop.

So far it's all worked a treat and Turkey must be tearing their hair out trying to guess what Metsu will do next.