Losing leader Sadio Mane represents a bitter blow for Senegal's World Cup hopes

Sadio Mane is Senegal’s iconic player and his absence due to injury is a massive blow to their chances of going far at the World Cup.

They knew there was very little chance of him making it but they had to include him in the squad. Not only is he their highest-profile player and not only has he scored goals for them regularly, but his growth has mirrored the growth of the side.

At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations this year, Mane demonstrated his importance. He missed a penalty after five minutes of the final against Egypt but he scored the winning penalty in the shootout.

He did it again against Egypt to get them to the World Cup. In losing him, they’ve lost a leader. He's the man they turn to in crisis situations.

They're a team who do not have much creativity but possess a solid midfield three of Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate and Nampalys Mendy. They don't concede many goals but there is not a lot of spark without Mane.

They’ll be keen to shut the Dutch down in their Group A opener and would be happy with a 0-0 draw. Aliou Cisse is not the type of coach to take risks, particularly with games against Qatar and Ecuador to come.

Monday’s match against the Netherlands could come down to the midfield battle with the Dutch also playing three in the middle.

Senegal are the best African side when it comes to pressing but they won't want to press the Netherlands and risk leaving space in behind.

If they concede, Senegal will have to try to respond but the Netherlands will also consider this their hardest test so there's no real incentive for either team to go mad from an attacking point of view.

Of the other African nations, Ghana are interesting and might be better than people think.

They were pitiful at Afcon but the changes they have made since, bringing in Otto Addo as coach and Chris Hughton as technical director, have made a difference.

In the World Cup playoffs against Nigeria, there was a proper structure and they looked defensively competent.

They weren't particularly exciting but bringing in Inaki Williams and Tariq Lamptey gives them a lot more pace and recent friendly performances have been encouraging.

Group H looks open. I'm not sold on Uruguay, South Korea look weak and Portugal have their issues with Ronaldo. If they play him they become stodgy, if they don’t then they risk ructions in the camp.

England must be patient against Iran

England have the ability to win the World Cup but they could also fail to get out of of the group and it’s really hard to tell how they will perform.

I wouldn’t criticise Gareth Southgate for prioritising solidity. I think that's essential. History tells us that attacking sides don't win international tournaments.

Where Southgate deserves criticism is in the vital moments against Croatia and Italy in the last two tournaments. In both cases he was slow to react to problems that you could see coming.

Group B looks much more difficult than people are making out, starting with Iran on Monday.

England are better against teams who come out and attack them, leaving space in behind which the forwards can exploit. Iran will not do that, they will sit deep.

Carlos Queiroz’s Egypt side were very negative at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. They will employ a lot of gamesmanship, a lot of time-wasting. They could be frustrating for England, who will have to be patient.

There's no outstanding side in this World Cup and there are so many random factors going into it - the lack of preparation time, the number of injuries, the feeling that everyone is already exhausted.

That all hints that there could be a winner from outside the usual European mainstream.

Argentina are on a 35-game unbeaten run. They were much better than Italy in the Finalissima and they have a real balance. Lionel Messi looks really good in that right-wing role, drifting in and linking up with Lautaro Martinez.

They would be my tentative pick. There's something gripping about the story of Messi winning it at the last.

I almost wonder if the death of Diego Maradona has liberated Messi, clearing the pathway and allowing him to be himself.

Obviously the myth of Maradona and 1986 endures but maybe that's easier to deal with when you don't have the man himself bouncing around the camp.

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