Why Éric Chelle’s Vibrant Mali Must Be Optimistic Of Their Best AFCON In A Decade – Tactical Analysis

A day before they’re set to kick off their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage campaign versus South Africa, we’ve opted to highlight Éric Chelle’s Mali as our team to watch in this year’s tournament.

Chelle’s side suffered a blow in the months leading up to the competition, with their star striker from LaLiga’s Almería, Ibrahima Koné, being ruled out of action for five months back in October due to a fractured ankle.

Consequently, the 24-year-old is not part of Chelle’s final 27-man squad.

Still, the Malian faithful can hold high hopes ahead of their opening game, thanks to their youthful, energetic, in-form squad.

Les Aigles enter AFCON as Africa’s ninth-highest-ranked side as per the current FIFA World Rankings.

They’ll face one of the eight teams ranked higher than them, Tunisia, in Group E, while neither South Africa nor Namibia will be pushovers.

However, having finished the qualification campaign with, overall, the fourth-highest xG (10.96), second-most goals (15) and second-fewest goals conceded (two), all while averaging the fifth-youngest squad (25.9) on the continent, a degree of optimism may be warranted for fans of the nation that’s failed to progress beyond the Round of 16 in any of the last four AFCON tournaments, since the 2013 edition.

This tactical analysis piece will provide in-depth insight into what you can expect from Éric Chelle’s side when they take to the pitch for the first time in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations versus South Africa tomorrow evening and throughout the tournament.

We’ll share some analysis of Chelle’s tactics while pinpointing key players you need to watch out for within his 27-man squad.

Beware of Mali’s midfielders and penetrating play in possession

Having enjoyed a fruitful AFCON qualification campaign in front of goal, let’s kick off this tactical analysis by diving into how Chelle’s side tend to score their goals and create their chances.

Mali’s midfield is undoubtedly a strong area of their team, with several quality players, such as Yves Bissouma of EPL Tottenham Hotspur, Mohamed Camara of Ligue 1 AS Monaco, Aliou Dieng of 2023 CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly, Amadou Haidara of Bundesliga RB Leipzig and Diadie Samassékou from TSG Hoffenheim of the same league among the options vying for a place in the starting XI.

We’ll likely see all of the above featuring in some capacity throughout the tournament, with Camara and Dieng the two most likely to feature in the starting XI as a duo if Chelle opts for the 4-2-3-1 he’s sometimes used.

On current form, there’s a strong case for Bissouma to feature if it’s a three-man midfield (Chelle often sets his team up in a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2), though he could just as likely be deployed on the wing in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, as is the case with Haidara; Samassékou has been a common starter under Chelle as well, particularly in a three-man midfield.

You could expect to see Camara holding more often while Dieng will get forward a bit more either in a two or three-man midfield.

Bissouma would also typically prefer to exploit the more advanced spaces, but the midfield contains players of high quality who will be sure to cover for one another and sit deeper should one see it fit to progress into a more advanced position.

In this case, showcasing an example from Mali’s AFCON qualification clash with South Sudan back in September, Dieng advanced into some space in ‘zone 14’ from right central midfield after the opposition’s midfielder previously covering that space was attracted to the ball-carrier progressing on the left.

As Dieng moved forward, Camara remained deep, shifting slightly to the right, while Samassékou also provided cover.