The Lions of Teranga will return to action with a friendly fixture against Comoros at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Sunday. The friendly comes after Senegal played two matches in their opening round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
In the first game under Vieira, Senegal secured a 1-1 draw against Mozambique, before recovering in matchday two to edge out Ethiopia 1-0.
Senegal on the right track
“When I see the players’ attitude, the work they’ve put in, and the difficulties we’ve faced, I think we’re on the right track,” said Vieira, as quoted by Wiw Sport ahead of the Comoros friendly.
“The pressure from the public is to be ambitious. It’s about having the desire to see the Senegalese national team reach the highest level possible.
“We’re professionals, so we know what the public expects. We’ll do everything we can to meet those expectations. There’s absolutely no doubt about that.
“We have to keep working. We need to be demanding, organised, and have a game plan. We’re putting all of that in place. When you work hard, success comes naturally.”
Vieira added: “We are ambitious. I am an ambitious coach; I have ambitious players. We also have an ambitious country.
“Senegal’s strength, which is perhaps also a weakness, is that there are 22 million coaches. It’s all about passion.
“There are 22 million people who want to see Senegal reach the highest level possible. And, based on the last few days, I can confirm that we will be there, that we will be competitive.
“We will do everything necessary. We are aware of our weaknesses and our strengths. We will be ready for the competition.
“From a points perspective, taking four points from two very difficult away matches is a very positive result. But we are aware that there are areas for improvement in our performance.”
‘I demand high standards’
The former Crystal Palace manager maintained his desire is to raise the levels at Senegal and demand high standards from the players.
“High standards are part of being at the highest level; it’s a daily requirement. I demand high standards from the players, both in terms of their behavior on and off the field,” explained Vieira.
“It’s the same for me and the entire staff. When you have the opportunity to be part of the Senegalese national team, you have to be competitive.
“We all know that a victory or a defeat comes down to details. There are areas for improvement in the matches we’ve played. We’re going to try to improve them to be stronger as a team.”
On coming up against Comoros, Vieira responded: “This last match will be a friendly, but it’s an important match for me and the staff because we need to learn lessons to improve and also have the opportunity to see some players, who haven’t had the chance to play until now.”
Pape Gueye, who had quit Senegal under coach Pape Thiaw but returned to the fold after Vieira took over, said when asked about his return: “The answer is in your question. If I’m here today, it’s a position I took and that I was going to stand by.
“Today, I’m very happy to be here and I’m going to do my best to help this team. I think that’s the most important thing. Perhaps if I want to, there will be an opportunity to talk about it, but it’s not the most important thing.
“As the coach said, there’s a new staff in place. We’re working well, everyone is listening in training. We’re trying to put everything in place to respect what the coach asks.
“As he said, it takes time. It’s true that we Senegalese are used to winning in recent years. That’s a good thing, but it takes time for us to become, in quotes, that team again.”
Gueye had announced an indefinite break from the Senegal team on July 2nd after the FIFA World Cup, stating he would not play under the existing technical staff.
