Cisse is worried about Senegal's temperament (Allsport)
CISSE FEARS SENEGAL SELF-DESTRUCTION
By PA Sport Staff
Premiership star-in-waiting Aliou Cisse fears the
life could be strangled out of Senegal's World Cup bid by the volatile nature
which has left them "living on the edge".
Set to join Birmingham City from Paris St Germain in the summer, captain Cisse
believes the atmosphere in the squad could "explode" at any point.
Senegal take on Turkey for a place in the semi-finals on Saturday, aiming to
become the first African team to reach the last four.
But Cisse warned: "A speck of dust can make everything explode.
"Our squad lives on the edge - always at the limit. It's fiery, too fiery and
it can explode - boom!
"We have meetings to calm down our play, to speak to each other. The strength
of this squad is communication."
They arrived in the Far East a team of unknowns, but Senegal's players have
become household names over the past three weeks.
Since beating defending champions France in the tournament opener, Cisse,
El-Hadji Diouf, Tony Silva and Co have continued to stagger.
The second-round defeat of Sweden came as little surprise to Bruno Metsu's
assistant coach, Jules Bocande.
Bocande was, before these finals, recognised as Senegal's finest ever player,
and he has been inspired by the cohesion in the 23-man party.
Cisse's point of view is not held by all in the camp and Bocande told
L'Equipe: "The lads make a real family.
"Do you know that when they leave each other after a get-together, they are
sad and have tears in their eyes? It's the first time I've seen that in a
team."
And Metsu's laid-back approach is paying rich dividends in the north Africans'
debut finals appearance.
"It's up to me to adapt to their way of life," he said.
"I'm not a cop, I'm a coach.
"When I'm with them, I consider myself as a friend to them. It's not through
shouting at players that they respect you. With me, they enjoy total liberty."
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