Great Britain vs. Senegal: 6 Things We Learned from Team GB's Olympics Opener

Team GB's first Olympic campaign in more than 50 years got underway with a 1-1 draw with Senegal at Old Trafford.

Craig Bellamy had given the home team a first-half lead only for Moussa Konate to level for the African side eight minutes from time.

The result was not ideal for winning over those who are ambivalent towards supporting a joint-British team, and it puts them in a precarious position in their group, too. However, it was at least an improvement on the performance Team GB put in against Brazil on Sunday when they lost the friendly 2-0.

Here are half a dozen things that manager Stuart Pearce will have learned from his first competitive game in charge of Team GB.

They Are Still Finding Match Fitness

Two-and-a-half months have elapsed since the end of the domestic season in England, and with only the Brazil friendly under their belts before the Senegal game, it was clear that Team GB's players are still short of full match fitness.

BBC pundit Alan Hansen even commented that defender Micah Richards had "been on the pies" all summer, although he looks OK in this picture.  

They were the better team in the first half, but as the game wore on and the count of bruising tackles from Senegal rose, they began to flag and conceded a sloppy equaliser.

With games now coming thick and fast—next up it's UAE at Wembley on Sunday—Team GB need to hit their physical peak quickly.

Sturridge's Form Is a Worry

Fears that Daniel Sturridge would not be fit for the Olympics after suffering a bout of meningitis proved unfounded when the Chelsea striker started against Brazil last weekend, but as in that match in Middlesbrough, he looked out of sorts against Senegal.

The introduction of Marvin Sordell at half-time in Sturridge's place forced Team GB to change the way they played. The Bolton forward was more concerned with linking the play and holding the ball up, but he was often left isolated.

Sordell was unfortunate when his late strike rebounded off the crossbar, but in truth, Team GB looked far less of a threat with him in attack.

The Heartbeat of the Team Is Welsh

On his first appearance at an international tournament, Ryan Giggs looked right at home. Although the Team GB captain was not at his imperious best, Giggs was still a calm and assured presence in the centre of midfield and pinged several lovely long-range passes around the pitch.

Giggs's midfield partner Tom Cleverley struggled to have much of an impact, but Joe Allen was another of Britain's most influential players.

In addition, Craig Bellamy was by far the team's most potent attacking weapon. He scored the opening goal and should have had a penalty awarded for a terrible foul on him in the second half.

Fans Are Adjusting to Supporting a New Team

Playing these Olympics at home is sure to be an advantage for most of the British athletes across all sports at London 2012, but Team GB's footballers are yet to feel that benefit as much as others will.

Old Trafford was close to sold out for the Senegal game, but those in the crowd struggled to vocalise their support for a team that they've never supported before. There were even several boos aimed at Craig Bellamy when he took his first few touches from Manchester United fans who were irked by his Liverpool and Manchester City connections.

And when a Mexican wave is going around the ground just 15 minutes into the game, you know that the home support is not exactly vociferous.

They Remain a Collection of Individuals

While players for many of the other top nations in the Olympics such as Brazil and Spain are all familiar with each other, Team GB were thrown together for the first time just a couple of weeks ago.

It certainly showed how unfamiliar they were throughout the match, and it proved costly when Ryan Giggs and Aaron Ramsey bungled a short corner. Senegal clicked into gear, swept forward and scored a well-taken equaliser on the counter-attack.

With less than 72 hours until their next match, Stuart Pearce and his players need to make sure everyone is on the same page by the time they play UAE.

Scott Sinclair Deserves a Chance

Pearce's team sheet for the game against Senegal featured no fewer than three left-backs in his starting XI. Swansea's Neil Taylor played in his usual position, Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand was at right-back and Tottenham's Danny Rose—a midfielder who has played most of his games for Spurs on defence—was on the left wing.

Rose was in the team ahead of Scott Sinclair, presumably to add some more defensive nous to the midfield, but he was nowhere near as effective as you would expect Sinclair to be.

Pearce will have to consider bringing in Sinclair for the UAE game and have him and Taylor replicate their successful club partnership at international level.