As a conclusion to its preparation for the next African Cup of Nations, the National Team faced Ghana yesterday. Some notable elements are to be retained from this meeting.
It is already the end of the funny preparation of the Greens for the next CAN. Funny, firstly because of the conditions in which the players were received (the Europeans released at different times, the covid cases available then unavailable then available etc …), and funny, also, because of the strange cancellation of the first friendly match against Gambia.
The pragmatism and the concern for anticipation of the EN staff have, however, greatly reduced the impact of these issues on the internship which was taking place in Doha. Yesterday, at 5 p.m. (Algiers time), the match against Ghana concluded these few days of physical and tactical work. Thus, this duel against a formation which counts on the African scene, and potential adversary of the future dams of access to the World Cup next March, allows to retain some lessons.
1 °) Yes, 4-2-3-1 is a real option
The question of Algeria’s future tactical plan for the Africa Cup of Nations has sparked huge debates in recent days, 4-4-2? 4-3-3? 3-5-2, 3-4-3? It was finally the 4-2-3-1 that Djamel Belmadi decided to line up yesterday afternoon.
This formation allows to align a playmaker, in this case Yacine Brahimi, in addition to the two wingers (Belaïli and Ounas) and the striker (Bounedjah). If he did not particularly shine, Brahimi was very useful in the possession of the Algerian ball and the Greens’ block clearly very effective in the game without the ball. Farid Boulaya, for his part, will have been the author of an excellent entry and seems clearly ready to evolve in this position that could also occupy Saïd Benrahma and Youcef Belaïli, possibly in false number 9. A real solution for the future?
2 °) Yes, the Algerian bench is of quality
It was sketched out from the introduction of this article but indeed, Algeria is currently relatively small. Neither Riyad Mahrez (not yet available), nor Sofiane Feghouli (injured) nor Djamel Benlamri (probably affected by the Covid) were aligned on the scoresheet. Alexandre Oukidja, Mohamed Amine Tougaï or Houcine Benayada made their return after their contamination and it was the same for a Youcef Belaïli who seemed more sharp.
We have thus been able to observe the tenure of usual replacements or even new holders, such as Adem Zorgane, Adam Ounas or Yacine Brahimi. All of them delivered quite interesting copies against the 52nd in the FIFA rankings, especially in the game without the ball, and the entry of Farid Boulaya clearly boosted the Algerian attack. What can you hope to run during the competition?
3 °) Abdelkader Bedrane, potential holder?
His name did not appear in the previous point, and it is not without reason. At 29, Abdelkader Bedrane clearly seems to have reached maturity in football. Very regularly aligned by Djamel Belmadi, the defender of Esperance de Tunis had already been absolutely essential during the Arab Cup under the orders of Madjid Bougherra.
Yesterday, in the absence of Djamel Benlamri, Bedrane again returned a good copy. The physical deficit of Benlamri, who has suffered many injuries and many months of irregular playing time, raises concerns about a drop in performance for the former Olympique Lyonnais player. If Aïssa Mandi is indisputable, clearly Abdelkader Bedrane seems to have a card to play as an axial-left defender. What definitely sting the place of Djamel Benlamri?
4 °) Youcef Atal, that’s not it yet
Some will see the glass half empty, others half full. For his return as the holder yesterday, he who had missed the last international break and in particular the duel against Burkina Faso, Youcef Atal made a very average copy. While he is involved in the last two goals for Algeria, Atal has regularly seemed borrowed, especially defensively, and has not been at the same level as his teammates when it comes to the game without the ball.
Some will be happy to have seen him play 84 minutes without getting injured, but this argument will seem weak when it comes to playing, with the desire to win, a competition as important as the CAN. Behind, Houcine Benayada (who replaced him yesterday) and Réda Halaïmia push. Youcef Atal, who seemed to be back in shape with OGC Nice, still has his work cut out for him. At the risk of losing his place in Cameroon?
5 °) Again a reassuring match against a big one?
Many people no longer dared to express it too loudly, as the popularity rating of EN and its coach is great. However, the reality of the last few months of the selection was quite clear: when adversity became too great, Algeria no longer really dominated its subject and regularly relied on an individual feat to get by. The matches against Mali (1-0) and especially against Burkina Faso have shown that the Fennecs’ room for maneuver was reduced.
Yesterday, faced with a prestigious opponent, who had not lost to the Algerians since 1993, Algeria seemed serene. Excellent in the game without a ball in the first period in particular, the Greens boosted the pace they wanted to boost in this meeting, conceding few chances (even if a penalty could have been whistled) and showing themselves to be dangerous on their offensives. . If the scores can sometimes be false, the 3-0 inflicted on Ghana sounds like good news as the CAN approach. Are Djamel Belmadi’s men ready to repeat the feat of 2019?
