Belmadi to Echorouk : “One should respect Benchikha's decisions … and don't talk to me about excluded players”

The former Algerian football star, Djamel Belmadi, who is currently the head coach of the Lakhouiya club which tops the standings in the Qatari first-division championship competition has granted an exclusive interview to Echorouk during which he dwells on his remarkable itinerary with this Qatari outfit and on the evolution of the Algerian national football squad since the arrival at the helm of the technical staff of national coach Abdelhak Benchikha.

•  Echorouk : Hello, Djamel how are you doing with your Qatari team of Lakhouiya?

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• Belmadi : Well everything is all right. We now accupy the first slot in the standings of the Qatari championship with a young and hopeful team.
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• We hope that we’ll be able to clinch the championship title this season.
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• Echorouk : Lakhouiya defeated Nadir Belhadj’s team three days ago in an away match, is it right?
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• Belmadi : Yes absolutely, we beat them on their home ground by one goal to nil.
• According to all sports commentators here in Qatar, the result of this fixture was quite logical as we were better prepared for this match.
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• Echorouk : What do you think of the performance of Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj during this fixture?
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• Belmadi : I can’t make any judgment but his performance and that of his team-mates was rather fair to middling.
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• Echorouk : What is the secret of your success as head coach with this Qatari squad?
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• Belmadi : I think that there is no secret at all. This outcome is the result of sustained work and professional rigour. We have the necessary means and infrastructures to do a good work with this Qatari team and the players are young and highly motivated and eager to forge ahead despite the harsh competition.
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• I guess that we have the necessary resources to wrench the championship title this season, if everything goes according to plan.
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• Echorouk : What about now the Algeria squad … have you followed their lackluster performance in the Africa cup of nations competition?
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• Belmadi : Of course, I follow closely the performance of the Algeria squad and I think they will have to pull out all the stops in the next CAN fixtures to hopefully bounce back in the competition, Inch Allah! …
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• Echorouk : What do you think of the latest changes brought by national coach Benchikha in the Algeria line-up in expectation of the next CAN fixtures?
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• Belmadi : I should say that it is very difficult to judge the coach’s decisions.
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• I think that these changes in the line-up were motivated by his personal convictions as he knows perfectly the players better than anyone.
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• Echorouk : So, you think that Benchikha’s decision to exclude certain key players was appropriate …
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• Belmadi : Who asked for change in the Algeria line-up? As far as I am concerned, I have never said that certain players should be excluded from the line-up.
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• I gave my opinion about the performance of the squad in general but I say again that the coach’s decisions whether they are right or wrong should be respected.