The Arsenal legend took over the vacant role following the exit of Pape Thiaw, who was sent packing in the aftermath of the country’s exit at the last-32 stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Lions of Teranga, who had been managed by Thiaw since December 2024, were beaten by France and Norway in their opening two group games.
Speaking after taking charge of his first training session in Maputo, the former French midfielder admitted he was impressed to see a committed and focused squad that is enjoying being together.
‘I saw players focused on details’
“We were more focused on preparing the body for tomorrow's session, which will be much more intense, to get back into the swing of things and provide a workout that will be important for both the physical and tactical aspects of the game,” said Vieira as quoted by Wiw Sport.
“It’s always interesting to see how the players behave on the pitch, their concentration, and how they take advice in relation to what we expect from training, and that was really positive.
“I saw players focused on the details and a group of players who were genuinely enjoying being together again.”
On having a full squad at his disposal, Vieira said: “It feels great. It feels so good to be back on the pitch with the players, to have a really good session because we've been traveling for a few days now.
“It was important to recover from what we did at the hotel. But today on the pitch, it was our first session and now we’re really starting to get into the preparation for Friday's match. It was just a warm-up. We weren’t really working at high intensity.”
Vieira added: “This is a staff that is at the disposal of the team, of the players today. Of course, everyone has their role and responsibility, everyone participates, and that's how we're going to build a team.
“A group arrived this afternoon, and what was planned for them was a sort of recovery session at the hotel with stretching, a little swimming, and some cycling to get them ready for Wednesday's training.
“We’ll be 48 hours away from the match against Mozambique, and the real objective is to have all 27 players on the field to prepare for that match.”
Senegal will play Mozambique on September 25th in Maputo, followed by another match against Ethiopia on September 29th in Bahir Dar, as part of their 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The West Africans will conclude the upcoming international window with a friendly match against Comoros on October 4th at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Zambia with full camp for Algeria test
Meanwhile, all players summoned by Zambia coach George Lwandamina have now arrived in Algeria as the team continues preparations for Friday’s crucial Group I 2027 Pamoja AFCON qualifier against the hosts.
The final two arrivals, Joseph Liteta and Gampani Lungu, completed the squad’s arrival schedule.
Liteta arrived late on Tuesday, while Lungu landed in Algeria in the early hours of Tuesday and made his way straight to the team hotel, where he joined his teammates for breakfast shortly after arriving.
Coach Lwandamina has expressed satisfaction with the players’ commitment and attitude since arriving in Algeria, describing their response as “encouraging.”
Meanwhile, German-based assistant coach Andrew Sinkala has been excused from the current camp to attend to personal matters.
Zambia will face Algeria on Friday, September 25th, at Stade Hocine Ait Ahmed in Tizi-Ouzou.
The Chipolopolo are scheduled to depart Algeria immediately after the match and return to Lusaka to prepare for the matchday two battle against Togo on Tuesday, September 29th.
