![[Analysis] Senegal Team: Why Patrick Vieira is not the right man for the job](https://image.seneweb.com/content/news/2026-31-29//thumb_1260x800_6a69c140ce55a_mJNWpDFHri.jpeg)
[Analyse] Équipe du Sénégal : Pourquoi Patrick Vieira n'est pas l'homme de la situation
Following the dismissal of Pape Thiaw, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has set its sights on Patrick Vieira. According to several reliable sources, the French coach, born in Dakar, is in advanced talks to become the manager of the Lions of Teranga. While certainly more famous than the last two Senegalese coaches, his proposed playing style is no more appealing.
At Nice, Strasbourg, Crystal Palace, and Genoa, his stints were not successful, as he was never able to maintain the positive results that often mark his debut at a club. It was rather the hope that Vieira was a coach with potential and his reputation as a former player that prevailed. In addition, his dual cultural background could facilitate the recruitment of French dual nationals.
At every club he's managed, Patrick Vieira has faced the same recurring theme: he ends his tenures badly, sometimes very badly. With Genoa, he was sacked after a chaotic start to the 2025-2026 season, with three draws and five losses in the first eight Serie A matches. He only managed two wins, both against modest teams in the Coppa Italia. The same pattern held true at Strasbourg, where he finished the 2023-2024 season with three losses and one win, before a difficult preseason with three losses and one draw. Just days before the start of the French league, he resigned following disagreements with the Strasbourg management. Before Strasbourg, Vieira also ended his time at Crystal Palace very poorly. During the 2022-2023 season, he endured a dismal run of seven losses and five draws in his last twelve Premier League matches before being dismissed. His time in Nice was not an exception, where he left the club on December 3, 2020, after a series of 5 consecutive defeats.
The results of his recent ventures show that Patrick Vieira is more of a "firefighter" than a builder. He's the kind of coach who quickly manages to revive a struggling team, keep it afloat for a while, before ultimately witnessing its collapse. This is typical of certain coaches who specialize in avoiding relegation, incapable of taking their teams to the next level. So far, the French manager hasn't found a way to break free from this downward spiral, which is essential for success as a national team coach. The reason for this instability may lie in his playing style.
Tactically, Patrick Vieira's approach isn't far removed from what Senegal has experienced in recent years. During his most successful periods as a coach, the former French midfielder relied on a solid defense. "Defend well before attacking" was one of his mantras. With his clubs, he consistently prioritized defensive stability over efforts to implement varied attacking formations. This had a real impact on his teams' playing style. At Genoa, the French coach abandoned spectacular and unpredictable attacking football in favor of a pragmatic and predictable approach. When his team was ahead, they often managed to "shut down the game" and secure the victory. Conversely, they struggled to establish their rhythm, find space, and create opportunities when they were behind. As a result, in almost half (17 out of 37) of the matches played by Vieira in Serie A, at least one of the two teams failed to score.
This style of play is something the Senegalese experienced under Aliou Cissé. The former Lions coach, who had a wealth of renowned attacking players at his disposal, was often criticized for a minimalist and defensive approach. While this strategy certainly worked in 2021, culminating in the victory in Cameroon where the Lions conceded only two goals in seven matches, it proved unsuccessful in other tournaments. In the major competitions under Cissé's management, Senegal fell due to a glaring lack of attacking efficiency. A prime example is their elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated on penalties (0-0) against a Cameroon side largely dominated by the Lions, who were unable to find a way through.
Also, against strong teams, Cissé's Senegal often struggled to score. The two best examples in official matches are Algeria in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final (a 1-0 loss), and the resounding 3-0 defeat in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup against England. Hence the importance of having a coach with an attractive and attacking style of play, in a sport where you have to score more than your opponent to win, and for a team packed with high-quality forwards and attacking players. Something Patrick Vieira is not.
In the clubs he's played for, the Frenchman hasn't averaged two goals per game: 1.20 at Nice, 1.16 at Palace, 1.36 at Strasbourg, and especially 1.03 at Genoa, almost one goal per game. Yet, recent football history justifies the adage that the best defense is a good offense. At the 2026 World Cup, the best defense belonged to Spain, the champion team with an attractive and attacking style of play. During the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, won in Morocco, Senegal distinguished itself thanks to its attack, the second most productive in the competition (13 goals) behind Nigeria (14). In major competitions, both at club and international level in recent years, defensive teams are winning less and less. The tactical evolution of football means that teams with the best attacking output now prevail most often.
If we analyze their style of play, these victorious teams, both at club and national level, prioritize their attacking strength over their defensive solidity. Thanks to great tacticians, they manage to find solutions to score, impose their style of play, implement structured attacking strategies, and execute varied transitions. With Patrick Vieira, the Senegalese team is likely to present itself in two forms: a defensive team, like the one managed by Aliou Cissé, or a team that is still finding its feet and trying to impose an attacking style of play with a coach who hasn't managed to do so in his ten-year career.
Commentaires (49)
Cependant ce que l’article ne dit pas c’est quel était le niveau et je potentiel des équipes entraînées par Viera. Ce denier n’a pas eu la chance de coacher de grandes équipes dotées de grands talents
L’entraîneur est obligé de s’adapter à son effectif. Si tu n’as pas de grands attaquants, tu es obligé de défendre et de saisir des opportunités pour marquer
Avec l’équipes du Sénégal bourré de talents, Vierra aura un jeu plus offensif tout en gardant de bonne bases en défense
Pape Thiaw a échoué car il n’avait pas une bonne défense
Même cette belle équipe d'Espagne s'est basée sur une défense imperméable pour gagner la coupe du monde.
Pourtant, personne ne peut dire qu'elle ne joue pas bein au foot!
Arrêtons de rêver et soyons réalistes!
On ne va pas revenir en arrière.
J'espère juste que Seneweb ne va pas me censurer comme souvent!
Viera à construit un centre de formation les Jambars. si on en est là aujourd'hui c'est en partie grace à lui.
Il faut un Sud Americain pour du nouveau et ça va nous reussir
Ou il y a quelqu'un qui supprime les commentaires
Ou votre systeme de chat perd des messages
J'ai fait un commentaire ce matin (dailleurs le 1er commentaire sur cet article), il a disparu comme par magie
Viera est un vrai patriote
Il est fomdateur des Diambars avec Saer Seck.
Gana Gueye et Kara Mbodj sont sortis de l'Institut des Diambars.
Il es un vrai leader respecte,reconnu contrairement a Pape Thiaw et Habib Beye.
S'il est associe a Malilck Daf, il fera un bon travail
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