George Leekens: “Snatching African Cup Of Nations’ Trophy Isn’t My Overriding Objective”

In an interview granted earlier this week to “Jeune Afrique” Magazine, the new head coach of the national football team, Belgian George Leekens, sheds light on the chances of the Algerian Fennecs at the next edition of the African Cup of Nations football competition due to take place next January in Gabon, stating at the outset that he is not required to win the African trophy in Gabon but rather to go as far as possible in these African football jousting with on focus the objective of reaching the final four of qualifiers.

You arrived late at the head of the technical bench of the “Fennecs”, after the abrupt departure of Milovan Rajevac, pushed towards the exit by disgruntled players…

Leekens: Yes, I arrived a week before the training camp of the Fennecs… What happened before does not concern me. But when a coach leaves, everyone is a bit responsible … I am looking to the future. I signed a contract until CAN 2019 in Cameroon. 

There are no clauses with high objectives to reach. I am ambitious for my team, and that means that I want to win the maximum number of matches. We have a CAN to play. The qualification for the 2018 World Cup is still possible. And I established my work program until CAN 2019. We know that a team like Algeria must be among the best on the African continent because it has the means. But playing in Africa is never easy.

There is a huge wait and see at the moment around the Algeria line-up, from the Algerian public and from the press, who may see this national team to be more beautiful and potent than it really is…

Leekens: The fans, the media, are not our opponents, quite the opposite. I know there is a huge pressure in Algeria around the national football squad. But it’s not in my age that this will scare me (laughs). I was coach of Belgium and Tunisia, I trained in Turkey (Trabzonspor), as well as the best Belgian clubs (Anderlecht, FC Bruges). 

The pressure I know what it is and I can cope with it. People want immediate results. But even after the defeat in Nigeria in early November (1-3), they saw that the team had shown good things on the pitch. If the Algerians see that we are steadily working, that we have ambitions, they will be with us.

Aiming high means winning the 2017 African Cup of Nations (CAN)?

Leekens: I play to win. We will go to Gabon with the aim of going as far as possible in the CAN. But I know from experience that in football everything can happen, the best as well as the worst. In 2015, with Tunisia, we were eliminated by Equatorial Guinea (1-2) because of a fanciful penalty granted to our opponents by the referee. 

This year, Algeria will have as opponents Senegal, one of the best teams in Africa, in addition to a very good Tunisia, and Zimbabwe, and I reckon that these squads are not easy to maneuver. Our success will require a very good preparation, through a total involvement, at all times. The preparation will begin with the screening of some local players by the end of December, then the rest of the line–up starting from 2 January. 

But as for now, I will travel to Europe shortly to supervise the current evolution of Algerian international players based there and also to “track down” by the same token some proficient players who could integrate the Algeria football squad any time soon.