Petkovic to “Consume” the Players Used by Djamel Belmadi
The project, which was among Walid Sadi’s priorities, before he became the FAF president, seems to be frozen for a while, through hunting rare birds in Europe, where the first bird flew, represented by Milan AC player Yacine Adli, who dreams of the French national team, but will not get it.
The suggestions for the rest of the players remain with an unknown fate, including OL’s player Rayan Cherki, Monaco player Maghnes Akliouche, and Crystal Palace star Olise. As for the names that some talked about, the most recent of which is Rafik Guitane, and before Monsef Bakrar, who plays in the American New York City FC, they are ordinary names that may not find a place even on the reserve bench. They are not even given a chance in friendly matches. For example, Rafik Guitane, who is nearly twenty-six years old, plays for a modest club in Portugal.
This means that the starting lineup that Petkovic will use will not differ at all from that of Djamel Belmadi, with a difference in tactical plans and how to employ players. In general, the majority of players are the product of the efforts of the former Algerian Football Federation’s president, Mohamed Rouraoua, who brought in Adam Ounas, Ismael Bennacer, Nabil Bentaleb, Riyad Mahrez and Aissa Mandi, all of whom are still pillars of the Algerian national team, and may contribute to its qualification for the next World Cup under the umbrella of coach Vladimir Petkovic, and some of them played during Halilhodzic’s time ten years ago.
With the sterility of the Algerian league, even Youcef Belaili has fallen into a state of ruin, and he may not return to the Greens at all, and with the modesty of the names that have been circulated and even those that are mentioned repeatedly from time to time, including the sons of the two stars Zargan, active in Belgium with a team at the bottom of the standings, and Bachir Belloumi, who is active with a modest club in Portugal, they rarely shine.
Petkovic will not look for a starting goalkeeper elsewhere, because Belmadi’s presence for many years has convinced him that Anthony Mandrea is the best of the bad guys among the local and professional goalkeepers abroad, and he will not find a defence shortly outside the quartet of Youcef Atal, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Aissa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaïni, Ahmed Touba and Kévin Guitoun, and he will consume all the available midfielders including Ramiz Zerrouki, Bennacer, Bentaleb, Aouar and Chaibi, and no player will be added to them, and Slimani and Bounedjah may remain as spearheads alongside Gouiri, with the trio, Ounas, Mahrez and Amoura.
Fortunately, some of the players are young, otherwise, the team would have aged quickly in the hands of Petkovic, who has a group that may not have convinced earlier due to the psychological state in which Djamel Belmadi’s term ended, or due to its poor employment, as we have not yet seen neither Aouar nor Gouiri at their real level and in their basic positions, which is the workshop that the new coach will work on without any new players.
