Secondly, due to my limited time, I haven’t written a preview for the game against Benin. I hope to do that shortly before the actual game.

Here’s the list of 24 for the game:

Gardiens: Raïs Mbolhi (Gazélec Ajaccio, France), Cédric Si Mohammed (JSM Bejaïa), Izzeddine Doukha (USM Harrach).

Défenseurs: Essaïd Belkalem (JS Kabylie), Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwiya, Qatar), Carl Medjani (Monaco, France), Rafik Halliche (Académica Coimbra, Portugal), Mehdi Mostefa (AC Ajaccio, France), Liassine Cadamuro (Real Sociedad, Espagne), Djamel Mesbah (Parme, Italie), Faouzi Ghoulam (Saint-Etienne, France).

Milieux: Saphir Taïder (Bologne, Italie), Adlène Guedioura (Nottingham Forest, Angleterre), Saad Tedjar (USM Alger), Hamza Koudri (USM Alger), Abdelmoumen Djabou (Club Africain, Tunisie), Foued Kadir (Marseille, France), Sofiane Feghouli (Valence, Espagne), Yacine Brahimi (Grenade, Espagne).

Attaquants: El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Vitoria Guimaraes, Portugal), Islam Slimani (CR Belouizdad), Rafik Djebbour (Olympiakos, Grèce), Yacine Bezzaz (CS Constantine), Nabil Ghilas (Moreirense, Portugal).

Réservistes: Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (MC Alger), Ali Rial (JS Kabylie), Hassan Yebda (Grenade, Espagne), Mohamed Khoutir Ziti (ES Sétif), Amir Karaoui (ES Sétif), Hocine El Orfi (USM Alger), Mohamed Amine Aoudia (ES Sétif).

So, with the AFCON now literally around the corner, I thought it’s high time we took a thorough look at our team’s chances in the tournament, and also take a look at our opponents in Group D.

First off, a refresher on the final squad list:

GK:
• Rais Ouheb M’Bolhi
• Azzedine Doukha
• Cedric Si Mohamed

DF:
• Essaid Belkalem
• Ali Rial
• Carl Medjani
• Rafik Halliche
• Liassine Bentaiba
• Mehdi Mostefa
• Djamel Mesbah
• Faouzi Ghoulam

MF:
• Mehdi Lacen
• Adlene Guedioura
• Khaled Lemmouchia
• Saad Tedjar
• Sofiane Feghouli
• Ryad Boudebouz
• Foued Kadir
• Yacine Bezzaz
• Hameur Bouazza

FW:
• Mohamed Amine Aoudia
• Islam Slimani
• al-‘Arabi Hilal Soudani

As well all know by now we drew the short stick in being placed in the toughest group of the upcoming tournament, featuring our neighbours Tunisia, recent absentees Togo and the favourites, the Ivory Coast. However, though other teams will have a considerably easier task of getting through to the next round, we should see this as an opportunity to signal our intent in the tournament. A good performance in the group stage can turn heads our way now, rather than the occasional glance with the corner of the eye.

Our first match is against our brothers from the East; the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia. A North-African derby is always a mouth-watering prospect, a North-African derby in a tournament is even better, but a North-African derby that may end up deciding who takes second place in the group stage is just that much better. This game is important. If the Ivory Coast come with all their guns – the Toures, Drogba, Doumbia, Tiote and co. – blazing, then we’re going to most likely have to thrash it out with the Tunisians for second place. That’s not to say 1st place is impossible for either team even with the Ivory Coast (henceforth written as IC) firing on all cannons, both teams and maybe even Togo, can surprise the Elephants and throw a spanner in the works, but in the case where that doesn’t happen, the first game between Tunisia and Algeria will most likely decide the runners up.

We can’t take any perceptions of being tentative in this first game, we have to go all in. Tunisia will come at us with all their attacking options ready to cause our up-to-this-point stable defence some serious problems. Youssef M’sakni, Oussama Darragi, Zouheir Dhaouadi, Saber Khelifa and, to a lesser extent, Issam Jemaa’, are all available to them to make our first game in the 2013 AFCON a nightmare. The key to getting anything out of this game will be to keep two key players quiet; Dhaouadi and M’sakni. Dhaouadi is in my opinion Tunisia’s best player, and one of the most underrated playmakers on the continent. On the other hand, M’sakni’s exploits in last year’s edition of the AFCON still live strong in the memory. With these two neutralised, two of the strongest aspects of Tunisia’s game will have been neutralised.

The other aspect we will have to address when facing them is their defence, namely their stalwart defender Aymen ‘Abdennour. If there were any player I would want from their side right now, it would be him. He is easily one of the top 3 defenders Africa has to offer at this point, and his form in Ligue 1 has not gone unnoticed either. Our forwards and midfielders will have one of their most difficult tests when trying to get anything past him. He is a strong and unforgiving defender, ready to make his manager and fans proud whenever in a one-on-one situation. I fear our forwards lack the technical efficiency to get past him, but what they lack in technique they make up for in physique, namely height. Both Slimani and Aoudia, whoever starts right up front, would be capable of getting the jump on ‘Abdennour when the ball is crossed in (so long as the fullbacks and wingers get their crossing game together, it’s been poor of late). Soudani has the brute force to make up for the lack of height, and his pace will be useful against the Tunisian defence. As for unlocking them, it will be down to the midfielders to provide the killer ball. Look to Feghouli or Boudebouz – who interestingly scored his first goal for Algeria, and as of yet only goal for Algeria, against the Eagles – to use their technique to put in passes for the strikers to latch onto. Kadir, though also technically adept as he has shown in Ligue 1, needs to up his passing game for us if we’re going to be working as a cohesive and strong unit.

Key player – Zouheir Dhaouadi: Neutralise him and we have a better chance of doing well in this game.

Moving onto our next game against Togo, who are back after leaving the 2010 AFCON due to the tragic shooting in Cabinda. They’ve had a rollercoaster ride to the tournament, with main man Emmanuel Adebayor playing the irked employee refusing to come to the tournament then changing his mind again and again. As it stands, he is coming to the tournament but regardless of whether he does come or not Togo will have a chip on their shoulder, and a point to prove after their lengthy absence. They will not be an easy team to face and though the manner of their play will be a bit of a mystery they will be difficult to face. Do not consider them a whitewash victory in the waiting, they will not make it that easy for us and they know that their potentially best chance of them getting 3 points in the tournament will be against us, a largely inexperienced national side, considering the other opponents in their group.

I won’t ramble about Togo, because I would most probably be talking in conjecture. All I know is that a team capable of beating Morocco, friendly or not, is a team worth thinking seriously about facing. If they have Adebayor in the side then they will be an even bigger threat. What we need in this game is for our central midfielders, whoever Vahid chooses to line up alongside Lacen, to be on top of their game, and close out any chance the Togolese midfielders have of supplying Adebayor.

Key player – Emmanuel Adebayor: If on the day he is there, we will have to make sure our centre backs will deal with him individually and our midfielders deal with the supply to him.

Our final game in Group D will be against the team that without a doubt are the tournament favourites (again) this year; the Ivory Coast.

Everyone knows why they’re favourites. Drogba, Gervinho, Doumbia, Traore, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Tiote, Zokora, Demel and Bony. It’s just a collection of some of the best talent Africa has to offer isn’t it? They will be the fiercest test we will potentially have to face in the tournament. A draw against them is by no means a disaster depending on how things go prior to then, but a win would be a serious statement of intent. And a win is not impossible. We are now headed by the same coach who we got sacked when we last played against the Elephants, in Vahid Halilhodzic. His experience with the Elephants will be invaluable in this game and his experience may prove pivotal in the tactical battle between him and the inexperienced IC manager Sabri Lamouchi.

In this game defence will no doubt be the number one priority. Do not be surprised to see Vahid pack out the defence with a sweeper behind two centrebacks and utilising three centre midfielders for a large part of the game, although, that would be very unlike his attacking style of play. Players like Essaid Belkalem will be given their first chance to prove their mettle in comparison with the likes of Bougherra and Yahia who were largely successful when facing Drogba last time. Halliche is there to provide the experience from last time and Drogba will be a familiar face to him. Here I’m afraid we will have to play the counterattacking game, utlising our renowned ability to cause mayhem at pace when breaking, with Feghouli and Boudebouz no doubt to be utilised as the key instigators of such attacks. The option for the more attacking fullbacks in Ghoulam and Bentaiba may be used to further aid the breaks forward.

The manner in which we play this game depends on how we have fared in the two previous matches. If we do well and win both, then we can take our foot off the pedal and this one and play it safe for the draw. If we’re in a precarious position then we will have no choice but to pull out all the stops for the win.

But the likes of Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba will make life difficult for us, not to mention the players who are available on the bench to cause further problems later on in the game. Shutting down the play to them will be by no means easily, considering their forwards are very capable of creating play themselves, but it will be necessary.

Key player(s) – The whole bloody attack: Getting anything from this game will require us to have bastion-like defence in the face of arguably the best striking force of any African nation.

Insha’Allah kheir and 1,2,3, viva l’Algerie.

The second preliminary list for the 2013 AFCON squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
• Rais Ouheb M’Bolhi
• Azzedine Doukha
• Cedric Si’ Mohammed

Defenders:
• Essaid Belkalem
• Carl Medjani
• Rafik Halliche
• Ali Rial
• Mehdi Mostefa
• Liassine Cadamuro Bentaiba
• Djamel-Eddine Mesbah
• Faouzi Ghoulam

Midfielders:
• Adlene Guedioura
• Mehdi Lacen
• Khaled Lemmouchia
• Saad Tedjar
• Hameur Bouazza
• Sofiane Feghouli
• Djamel Abdoun
• Foued Kadir
• Ryad Boudebouz
• Yacine Bezzaz

Attackers:
• Al Arabi Hillel Soudani
• Islam Slimani
• Mohamed Amine Aoudia

Absentees from the list of 40 include:
• Rafik Djebbour
• Abdelmoumene Djabou
• Madjid Bougherra
• Hassan Yebda
• Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche
• Mokhtar Benmoussa
• Ishak Belfodil
• Abderrahmane Hachoud

To say this list is surprising in the least is an understatement. However, I am not surprised by one call that everyone is surprised by, and that is of Djebbour’s non-call up. But I’ll get into that later, first of all, analysing the list.

As you may have realised, this is a list of 24 players as opposed to the permitted 23 for the final tournament squads. This is yet again another preliminary list and the final list will be submitted on the 9th of January 2013 before the tournament begins. Between now and then, a lot of things can change. Abdoun’s injury may not progress well and Bezzaz/Bouazza will have their spots assured in the squad (God forbid, we hope for the speediest of recoveries for Abdoun). Yebda’s game time from now until the tournament looks minimal to say the least but he still may have the opportunity to prove to Vahid that there’s something of use there. Djabou is hitting form but some might say he hit it too late, but there is time remaining to change Vahid’s mind.

As for those that have been left out, well, it’s quite simple in a lot of their cases really. Zemmamouche was left out because there are only 3 Goalkeeper spots and he isn’t as good as the selected 3. Benmoussa and Hachoud are luxuries at FB the squad limitatons ensure that we cannot afford. Bougherra has been out for quite some time with injury, Djabou hasn’t played a single game for Algeria since Luxembourg, Yebda’s been injured for most of the time since then and Belfodil is to secure his place in the Parma lineup.

And then there’s Djebbour. This comes as no surprise to me. Know why? Because he has been the least impressive out of the 4 striking options provided to Vahid since he joined. Though Aoudia has not scored any goals yet, he has been more impressive than Djebbour every time he played. In Gambia and Tanzania, he was an ever-present threat at the opposition goal. Against Bosnia he showed good strength despite the atrocious conditions. As for Djebbour? Djebbour has never been the striker for Algeria that he was for AEK or that he is for Olympiakos. Whilst he regularly gets the goals there, he often seems to disappear for large portions of matches when with the National Team. Soudani and Slimani formed a formidable partnership over the course of the past year and Djebbour didn’t look like he was getting anywhere near to breaking into the starting line up. And when you consider that he is far away from being an impact sub, you realise that if Djebbour doesn’t start, then he’s not of much use. In Aoudia, Algeria have a trio of domestic bred strikers, with excellent physicality and work rate to them. I am not disappointed.

Another surprise is the introduction of Ali Rial at CB. This is a logical choice. Though Chafai’ is a good CB, he is very young and his talent doesn’t compensate for the lack of experience going into a tournament like this. Ali Rial however does have the required experience and though he shouldn’t expect to start or even get minutes off the bench, he would still be a suitable back up choice to call upon.

However I am disappointed by the call-up for Bouazza – who unfortunately was ambushed at his home by Racing Santander fans protesting the team’s poor performances, thankfully he is okay – which doesn’t make much sense to me, seeing as he doesn’t offer the team much in the way of creativity or impetus, often causing good plays to fall apart with a lack of clinical passing or awareness. I doubt he will make it to the final list of 23 but in my eyes, Djabou was a much better option.

Otherwise this list is a pretty strong one. The CB’s suddenly look very strong with Halliche, Belkalem, Medjani, Rial and Bentaiba, if needed, all on one list. With the re-introduction of Abdoun, the midfield also looks stronger. Vahid can do a lot with this team and if he can focus them properly, then we could be looking at a successful tournament in January through February insha’Allah.

As with every list, I post my ideal starting line-up. For the 2013 AFCON, this is my predicted strongest lineup with permutations for the changes we’ll see during the tournament:

GK: M’Bolhi
LB: Ghoulam/Mesbah
CB: Belkalem
CB: Medjani/Halliche
RB: Bentaiba
DM: Lacen
DM: Lemmouchia/Guedioura
LAM: Soudani/Abdoun
CAM: Boudebouz
RAM: Feghouli
ST: Slimani

Insha’Allah Kheir.

Sorry about the lack of posts and Disqus shutting down on the last post. I actually have no clue how it works.

Quick-quick update:

- Faouzi Ghoulam looks set to recieve his call up for the 2013 AFCON in South Africa after confirming his desire to play for Algeria. Ishak Belfodil and Yacine Brahimi will both expect call ups after the tournament.

-ESS are slowly beginning to run away with the Algerian league pole position after their 3-1 win against MCA, which featured a fumble from Faouzi Chaouchi that would be a good addition to the scrap book.

News otherwise has pretty much dried up, bar the disgusting lack of any Algerian players in the CAF shortlist. Feghouli had a landmark career with Valencia and the NT and deserves recognition for it.

It was about time I uploaded this no?

So, that game was something eh?

There’s a lot to say but as always, nothing happens before the player ratings are handled.

• Rais Ouheb M’Bolhi – 8/10 – A stalwart performance from M’Bolhi, one of his best yet, coming at a time when his position was most under fire due to his lack of game time. Was extremely brave coming out for the ball and was fast to react on more than a few occasions.
• Djamel Mesbah – 4/10 – Not a good day at the office for Mesbah, whose form for AC Milan seemed to have translated into his form for the NT in this game. His crossing was uncharacteristically poor for him whilst playing for the National team, hardly ever passing the first man. Made a few mistakes too.
• Carl Medjani – 7/10 – Thoroughly enjoyed himself in the game. I can’t remember an occasion where he put a foot wrong. Chased down every ball and every player he could. Perhaps his best performance wearing an Algeria shirt. If he keeps this up, even with a fully fit Halliche or Bougherra, he could very well pose a proper problem for Vahid’s selection for the starting lineups in the future.
• Essaid Belkalem – 8/10 – Man of the match for me. His first cap and he beasts the whole way. The standout example of his display was when trying to run the ball out for a throw in, the Libyan player pushed him using a lot of force, yet Belkalem barely moved. Made plenty of decisive tackles and was very strong in the air. The hype was true.
• Liassine Bentaiba-Cadamuro – 6/10 – Was much better in his second cap. Linked up with Feghouli well on more than one occasion and was highly influential on that right wing. Libyan tackles hampered his game though, as he picked up a knock and was subbed off at the half way mark for Tedjar.
• Mehdi Mostefa – 6/10 – A more impressive display from Mostefa for the NT this time round, playing in his preferred defensive midfielder position. Showed good composure on the ball. Deferred back to the right back position at half time where he felt the full force of the Libyan tackles as Bentaiba did.
• Mehdi Lacen – 6/10 – The Captain had a good game this time round, fulfilling his role as “retriever” to the fullest, taking on more than his fair share of the challenges to the ball. Picked up an undeserved yellow card however, which keeps him out of the next game.
• Adlene Guedioura – 5/10 – Not too impressive from him, he had the Yebda role for us today and whilst he did provide good support offensively, defensively he was lacking and his final balls were going off quite a bit. Missed a great opportunity early on but his work rate cannot be doubted. Put in every last bit of energy he had into the game.
• Sofiane Feghouli – 7/10 – Constantly hounded and harrassed by the Libyan defenders, on one occasion being fully taken out muay-thai style. But his talent still shone through. Obvious highlight of the night for him is his ingenious feint over the ball leaving the ball for Soudani to score. It’s the little things he produces like that which have the biggest effect.
• Foued Kadir – 4/10 – Was as weak as Mesbah on that left wing this time. Like Mesbah, he showed plenty of pace and vigour going forward but everything besides that was lacking. Delivery and finishing were all off today from the man who scored our fastest goal in quite a few years last time out. Hopefully, like Mesbah, it is a blip and we’ll see his better form next time out.
• Islam Slimani – 7/10 – Boy can this guy work. I haven’t seen tenacity and stamina like this since Ziani was playing on the pitch. He can run and run and run……and run. A testament to that is the fact that he was still running right at the death to set up Soudani for the winning goal. Was lacking that top-end support in order for him to put the goals away otherwise this match could have been done and dusted well before the 60 minute mark.

Substitutes:
• Saad Tedjar – 6/10 – Showed a lot of strength on the ball and the Libyans struggled to hack at him the way they had done with Bentaiba and Feghouli, adding physical reinforcement to that right side of the pitch.
• El Arbi Hilel Soudani – 7/10 – Came on (rather late at that) and scored the only goal of the game, showing composure and control right when it mattered. Was the subject of the fiercest of Libyan tackles (one of which was a blatant red card but knowing African refs apparently they only give reds if you play against Egyptians in a Semi-final *AHEM*) Showed that he could have made even more of an impact if he was brought on earlier.
• Rafik Djebbour – N/A – Barely had any time to participate in the game. Yet he was the main focus of the brawl that ensued after the game, along with Slimani and Medjani.

Man of the match was clear for me. It had to be Essaid Belkalem. His first cap for the NT and he bosses it. Strong tackles on the ground, good positioning, great anticipation and a beast in the air. Bougherra was right when he cited him as his successor. I can see him doing very well for us in the future. It is no exaggeration to say that this time last year he was fighting for the sake of his career, getting an injury that could have ended his career, but the FAF spared no expense in getting him the best treatment possible. Thank God it paid off.

One thing that quite evidently bothered many fans (particularly on this blog) was the non-inclusion of Boudebouz despite being on the bench. After seeing the Libyan tackles, I think it’s fair to say it was probably for the best he didn’t play. That’s just too dangerous a situation in which to risk a talent like Boudebouz, who isn’t as bulky as we’d want him to be. That was probably also a factor in the delayed introduction of Soudani and Djebbour.

Vahid’s policy of hunting down the opposition with the possession has come through, with his high-pressing tactic more obvious in this game then ever. However, the Libyan opposition seemed capable of combating it with their physicality. It eventually did pay off with Soudani, Slimani and Feghouli being situated so high up the pitch they were able to counter with vicious efficiency.

Which brings me onto my next point, Soudani’s introduction into the game was a windfall. Slimani and Feghouli suddenly seemed to have so much more vigour about them, whilst the Libyan defence suddenly looked far more rickety. He had the pace and strength at that time in the game to really give the opposition a migrane, doing well to annoy them and get up their noses at every opportunity up until he scored.

Our game was initially strong with the Libyans on the ropes from the get go. We created opportunity after opportunity for around 10 minutes right up until the Libyans upped the physical nature of the game, breaking it up. It was at that point where our game got rather scruffy, looking for the long ball and so on. Our defenders previously hadn’t had anything to think about but when the game turned gritty they had to deal with the occasional quick counter, which they managed to more or less every time with strength and assurance.

The interplay between the players on the flanks was interesting, linking up with that side’s central midfield support to tear open the opposition in order to find space to make that bursting run. Guedioura combined well with Feghouli and Bentaiba, whilst Lacen did his best to get Mesbah and Kadir moving forward. Mostefa did a good job supporting them through the middle, a good display in his natural position.

One thing that has begun to worry me in the attitude amongst the fans regarding our new team, is the level of expectation which they have formed for certain individuals on our team. Yes some are already class players, yes some could become even better, but these players alone are not the solution for our talent issue. They will remain with us for as long as their legs can carry them and it is important for us to ensure that we do not let our team become carried by them. Feghouli, Boudebouz, Abeid, Belfodil, Ammari et al, are all strong prospects indeed. But they cannot be considered a permanent solution to an issue which has hampered Algeria in the past, which is ensuring the nurturing of good young players.

Yes they’re great players with the potential to be even better, but we can’t risk falling into the same trap the likes of France, Turkey and Japan have fallen into in the past, whereby there will be an individual in the team or a group of individuals who are talented enough to carry the side on their backs but once they call it a day, the team free falls into crisis. They fell into freefall because they didn’t have anyone to replace the likes of Zidane, Hakan Sukur, Hasan Sas, Nakata, whom they depended on massively at the time.

We can’t become like that, otherwise things will just go back to the way they were in the 1990’s after the likes of Belloumi, Madjer, Assad and Dahleb stopped playing. So yes, enjoy these players whilst we have them, but we have to remember that the job in terms of ensuring continued success isn’t over. Yes the U20 and U17 results have been mixed in fortune but Nobilo knows what he’s doing. The U20’s last week got their first win in the U20 Algerian League in which they are participants. The Paradou Academy is finally beginning to send its players to clubs where they can further develop. The Algerian League has the natural raw talent, but training from the youth upwards is lacking in order for it to become a good league of high technical ability as opposed to being based on pace, physicality and the ingenuity of a few individuals on each side.

Now, onto the rematch this Sunday. The list for the players selected is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
Rais Mbolhi
Azzeddine Doukha (USMH)
Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (USMA)
Cédric Si Mohamed (JSMB)

Defenders:
Essaid Belkalem (JSK)
Abderrahmane Hachoud (MCA)
Mokhtar Benmoussa (USMA)
Carl Medjani (AC Ajaccio/ France)
Mehdi Mostefa Sebaa (AC Ajaccio/ France)
Rafik Halliche (FC Fulham/ England) – Replaced through injury by Ismael Bouzid (USMA)
Betnaiba Liassine Cadamuro (Real Sociedad/ Spain)
Farouk Chafai (USMA)

Midfielders:
Hocine El Orfi (USMA)
Adlene Guedioura (Nottingham Forest/England)
Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia/Spain)
Saad Tedjar (USMA)
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain/Tunisia)
Ryad Boudebouz (FC Sochaux/France)
Foued Kadir (Valenciennes/ France)
Khaled Lemmouchia (Club Africain/Tunisia)
Yacine Bezzaz (CSC)
Hamer Bouazza (Racing Santander/Spain)

Forwards:
Islam Slimani (CRB)
El Arbi Hilel Soudani (Guimares/Portugal)
Mohamed Amine Aoudia (ESS)

Reserves:
Ahmed Gasmi (USMA)
Djamel Mesbah (AC Milan/Italy) – Reserved due to injury
Moustapha Djallit (MCA)
Mohamed Seguer (USMA)

A much changed list from the last time we got to see the Fennecs play, mainly due to the suspensions of Lacen and Djebbour, as well as the injuries to Mesbah and Halliche. These are four strong players in the squad that we might have needed in order to maintain the standard of play. But what we have lost we’ve made up, in seeing the return of the in form Aoudia (A striker like Slimani, big and powerful, my favourite kind) as well as the warrior that is Khaled Lemmouchia. The man will be a thorough replacement for Lacen, using his tenacity and strength to hound his opponents into either giving up the ball or backtracking. We also see the return of midfielder Yacine Bezzaz, a largely forgotten member of the 2009 squad that played so well as a group.

People have asked a valid question, in why Ziani has not been called up as opposed to Bezzaz. The reason no doubt remains the same as last time; Ziani is just too good to leave on the bench. He means too much to the side to bench him, which would be the equivalent of benching your captain. Feghouli and Boudebouz have his position covered, Kadir provides more use as a utility winger and Djabou is an impact sub waiting in the wings. Bezzaz will most probably not see game time in this match.

The added input of domestic players is not without reason. We saw last time out that the Libyans are more than physical, so they will come at us with everything they have this time around in order to get something out of the match. The hit we take in technical ability is a necessary one in order to bolster our physicality.

The key in this game will be using our home support to our advantage. We need to get at the opposition right from the beginning, pressuring them, making them make mistakes and frustrating them. Our chances have to be taken and the play cannot be allowed to get choppy and scrappy again, no matter how rough the Libyans get. Last time they managed to ruin our playing style by making us endure beefy tackles time after time, some bordering on the wildly dangerous. This time we will have to stay focused. If we do that, we could have this match in the bag by the 60th minute.

Starting lineup is pretty easy to predict:

GK: M’Bolhi
LB: Bentaiba
CB: Belkalem
CB: Medjani
RB: Mostefa (Maybe Hachoud but Mostefa is a stronger more physical player)
CM: Lemmouchia
CM: Guedioura
RW: Boudebouz
AM: Feghouli
LW: Kadir
ST: Slimani

I don’t know why but I just see Vahid employing a 4-2-3-1 formation this time out. It seems to make more sense in blocking out the opposition. He may however go for the same formation as last time in:

GK: M’Bolhi
LB: Bentaiba
CB: Belkalem
CB: Medjani
RB: Hachoud
DM: Mostefa
CM: Lemmouchia
CM: Guedioura
RW: Feghouli
LW: Kadir/Boudebouz
ST: Slimani

That too is plausible. Either way, I see Vahid bolstering our midfield but putting a little added influence on attacking, hence why I think 4-2-3-1 is the more likely lineup.

Insha’Allah the result is an impressive one, but the realistic expectation will probably be a low scoring game. 2-0 to us I say.

Just a quick note, Nobilo released the list for the U20’s selected solely from European sides:

Goalkeepers:
Nassim Torche (Lyon Duchere/France)
Jerome Idir (Istres/France)
Redouane Boufelaas (Mulhouse/France)
Ayyoub Belabbes (Quevilly/France)

Defenders:
Yanis Takerboucht (PSG/France)
Sophiane Boussebaine (Lille/France)
Mokhtar Toumi (Montpellier/France)
Adel Gafaiti (Norwich/England)
Djamel Ibouzidene (Paris FC/France)
Lotfi Fouka (Genk/Belgium)

Midfielders:
Ilyas Aftis (SM Caen/France) – Injured
Abdellah El Moueden (Paris FC/France)
Anis Benrabah (Paris FC/France)
Yacine Hadji (SM Caen/France)
Karim Kouriche (Troyes/France)
Farid Boulaya (Istres/France)
Rachid Ait-Athmane (RC Lens/France) – Injured
Sami Herouat (Stade Reims/France)
Haris Belkebla (Valenciennes/France)
Kenzi Zenadi (Sedan/France)

Attackers :
Bilal Ouali (Stade Reims/France)
Nail Merhouni (Arles Avignon/France)
Mehdi Prevot (Ajaccio/France)
Thomas Izerghouf (Rennes/France)
Khadi* (I’ve never heard of this player before, his first name is not listed nor his club)

I’m pleasantly justified in my opinions after this list. Ouali, El Moueden, Takerboucht and Ibouzidene all make it, all of whom I listed as being on at least one of the two “Players for the future” list. El Moueden and Ibouzidene we know but Ouali too is a very good talent which we have done well to attain.

No Mandi, Abeid, Ammari, Hammar, Chergui, Omrani or Bendahmane. Omrani hasn’t gained international clearance nor has the FAF applied for it yet. Bendahmane hasn’t been playing of late as with Hammar. Mandi, Abeid, Ammari and Chergui are all supposedly being groomed for the NT already, with Mandi impressing Kourichi and Vahid very much in the right-back position.

The suggested official line up for tonight’s game. Waiting for the confirmation with the team sheet. Djebbour, Soudani and Boudebouz are all on the bench. Initially it was reported that Soudani was starting in a 4-2-2-2 formation, but now it is reported that Mostefa is starting in his natural defensive midfield position in a 4-3-2-1 formation.

If either one is true, then both have the logic to support them. 4-2-2-2 is our working formation and has brought forth rewards for us in our last few games. The tenacity and movement of the forward duo would help us further.

The 4-3-2-1 makes sense in order to combat Libya’s movement in the middle, providing extra defensive cover for Guedioura when he goes up to support the offense. Vahid knows that recuperation of the ball and the turnover from defense to offense will be key in this game. The Libyans can wear most teams down but if we get at them with enough pace they won’t be able to cope.

Last word: Complacency, just because we’re in Morocco, cannot be allowed.

Insha’Allah kheir.

We now have something big to talk about. Our upcoming match against our Libyan neighbours is just around the corner, and Coach Vahid has released the list for the squad facing them today. As per usual, before the analysis, let’s take a look at the list:

Goalkeepers:
Rais Mbolhi
Azzeddine Doukha (USMH)
Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (USMA)
Cédric Si Mohamed (JSMB)

Defenders:
Essaid Belkalem (JSK)
Djamel Eddine Mesbah (AC Milan/ Italy)
Abderrahmane Hachoud (MCA)
Mokhtar Benmoussa (USMA)
Carl Medjani (AC Ajaccio/ France)
Mehdi Mostefa Sebaa (AC Ajaccio/ France)
Rafik Halliche (FC Fulham/ England)
Betnaiba Liassine Cadamuro (Real Sociedad/ Spain)
Farouk Chafai (USMA)

Midfielders:
Mehdi Lacen (Getafe/ Spain)
Adlene Guedioura (Nottingham Forest/England)
Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia/Spain)
Saad Tedjar (USMA)
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain/Tunisia)
Ryad Boudebouz (FC Sochaux/France)
Foued Kadir (Valenciennes/ France)

Forwards:
Islam Slimani (CRB)
Al Hilal Al Arabi Soudani (Guimares/Portugal)
Ishak Belfodil (Parma/Italy)
Rafik Djebbour (Olympiakos/Greece)

Reserves:
Khaled Lemmouchia (Club Africain/ Tunisia)
Ismael Bouzid
Hameur Bouazza
Mohamed Seguer (USMA)
Mohamed Amine Aoudia (ESS)

M’Bolhi gets his call up despite being without a club and Halliche gets one despite lack of playing time. Lemmouchia has been left in reserve in place of Tedjar, a move which I am neither here nor there about but Vahid will have his reasons and they tend to be in the vast majority correct.

Farouk Chafai of USM Alger gets his first call up moving up from the U23’s like his compatriot Belkalem, who has a very good chance of getting his first start for the NT. No doubt a replacement for the injured Bougherra. Ismael Bouzid has been left out along with Hameur Bouazza, both relegated to the reserve role. Mohamed Seguer did enough to make it to that list along with Aoudia who just did not have any room to move with Belfodil coming in for the first time.

As has been mentioned on the last post, this list is quite solid. A few tweaks here and there and it’s nigh on our strongest team. Yebda’s return is still highly anticipated along with the induction of the likes of Brahimi and Abeid to add youth to the side. Ziani is still a grey area, with some calling for his return and others saying his time has passed. Abdoun too is a frequently mentioned name but in my opinion, for the time being at least, we can do without him. Very happy to see Bouazza has been cut loose, all due respect to the man but he was far away from providing any resourceful impetus during his last few outings with us.

Ryad Boudebouz’s club situation hasn’t hampered his opportunity to grace the NT once more, lining up alongside Kadir, Feghouli and Djabou in our attacking midfield compartment. Both ‘Soso’ and Guedioura have started the new season where they left off and look to carry on in the same form for the NT.

I’d say on the whole, bar any standout showings in the pre-match training camp, that the line up for the game from this list is pretty predictable, save for two positions; Right-back and Striker.

This depends on how we play with regards to our formation, the formation that worked really well for us of late is the 4-2-2-2 with 2 wingers supporting the strikers of whom one would occasionally drop to gain possession and supply. The other that has been used time and time again but is faltering in it’s efficiency is 4-2-3-1, with a lone striker, something that I personally think Algeria cannot afford to resort to particularly when getting goals is on the agenda for us.

Right-back is a conundrum regardless of formation. You have Hachoud, Bentaiba and Mostefa all ready to play there, whilst Bentaiba is capable of going at centre-back. Mostefa has been the least effective of the three although Bentaiba has only been played once but is consistently strong for Sociedad. Hachoud has been the standout choice of late though, marking his entrance into the NT with two brilliant performances against Rwanda and Niger.

Up front the most likely thing to see would be the return of the Soudani-Slimani duo that had Algerians in raptures last spring. Slimani outshone Djebbour for the joining role to Soudani who was incredibly powerful during the games. However the call up of progeny Ishak Belfodil may tilt the tables. He was on great form during the pre-season and may get his chance to prove to the Algerian public he’s ready to do the same for them. However I would still have liked to see Aoudia in that list. He did well in his game against Gambia and deserves another chance.

Midfield is a done deal. Lacen-Guedioura with Feghouli-Boudebouz. Done. Djabou hopefully to get some time and come on as an impact sub.

Vahid has a strong list at his disposal. He may even make this talk of tactics futile. He’s been known to mix it up a bit so we might see something new this time to tackle the different prospect of North African opposition. Either way, he knows what we need to do to win, and will ensure the players make it happen.

The Libyans however, will be far, far away from pushovers. They showed class in the last AFCON and have been doing well in their pre match camp and friendlies thus far. But they have the burden of not playing their game at home due to political unrest. This may become an added moral motivation for them which means we will have to be extra wary of them. They beat Cameroon – faltering giants but giants nonetheless – and will want to carry on making statements.

My prediction for the line-up? I’d have to be safe and go for the 4-2-2-2. Most efficient, most offensive. Should get the job done:

GK: M’Bolhi
LB: Mesbah
CB: Belkalem
CB: Medjani (Halliche if fit)
RB: Bentaiba
CM: Lacen
CM: Guedioura
LW: Feghouli
RW: Boudebouz
CF: Soudani
ST: Slimani

The score will be close in my opinion. Anyone who outright predicts a margin of more than 3 goals in a North African derby is crazy. But what isn’t crazy is to suggest that both teams can get 3 goals. I’ll go for a solid 2-0 so we don’t have to worry about that away goal.

Insha’Allah kheir.

However, I would like to tell you that the Algeria U20’s participating in the Arab Cup won their first match 5-0 against Qatar. Let’s hope it continues.

And here’s a little video to make you giggle as an apology for not posting. His stuff is hilarious and has been going on for ages. Check him out!