One, two, three, in the Belmadi closet? Algeria is already under pressure before facing Burkina Faso this Saturday (3 p.m.) for the second match of this CAN 2024. The Fennecs conceded the draw for their entry into the competition on Monday against Angola (1 -1), and coach Djamel Belmadi is already under fire.
After a good first half and the quick opening of the score by Baghdad Bounedjah (18th), Algeria completely stopped playing. To the point of conceding Angola’s equalizer from the penalty spot (78th) in an absolutely uncontrolled second period. “We should have taken the break, been more killer. We had a weak moment which didn’t last but which was enough to hurt us. I explain this result by our weak moment, we were punished,” Djamel Belmadi simply debriefed, while his late changes raise questions.
An almost untouchable coach
For Mohamed, founder of the page Algeria Football Media bringing together more than 70,000 supporters of the Fennecs sur You have to know how to manage a competition over time and at half-time the majority of players were burned out. That’s Belmadi’s fault. How could he not see that Bennacer was physically cooked, that Bentaleb couldn’t take it anymore? He only reacted after the equalizer. He could at least make the right choices. »
Criticism against a coach who was almost untouchable a few months ago, crowned with the surprise title of African champion in 2019, and a record series of 35 consecutive victories. Who had put Algeria back on the African football map, and restored pride to the Algerian people after years of hardship under Madjer, the previous coach. A state of grace which had persisted despite the elimination in the first round of CAN 2021, and the defeat against Cameroon in the play-off for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“The tide is turning”
“I clearly think that the tide is turning, Belmadi will no longer be able to benefit from his victory in 2019 forever. He put Algeria on the roof of Africa, he arrived with a state of mind that Algerians could identify with. But after a while you have to pull yourself together, it’s no longer enough to pass messages at a press conference. The results must follow,” believes Mohamed.
“Despite these disappointments, Belmadi remains the most popular coach in Algeria. He supported the people during the 2019 Hirak for the departure of Bouteflika just after winning the CAN. Even after the elimination in the World Cup play-off, he blamed everything on referee Gassama rather than taking responsibility. It’s quite crazy because here in Algeria, in any club when you lose one or two matches you are immediately called into question,” recalls journalist Mounir Ouassel, director of the media The score.
Aware of the end of his state of grace and that his credit is dwindling, the Algerian coach seems to be changing his way of doing things. As for the preparation of this CAN 2024, carried out in Togo. Unlike 2021, when he authorized his players to join the selection little by little, this time everyone was in the same boat. It has also initiated an overhaul of its workforce, with the addition of new blood. Even if for Mounir Ouassel, Belmadi “is making something new out of something old”, like the selection of Youcef Belaïli.
A coach as divisive as ever
But if there is one point on which Djamel Belmadi remains the same, it is his temperament. “He is always on the defensive, you can feel it in his dealings with the press. At no time does he give the impression of being calm, he always prefers to seek justifications for his poor performances. And he remains as divisive as ever, but that’s his temperament, his character. Especially since the elimination of CAN 2021, he has fallen a little out of his clouds and he blames everything. The problem is that he transmits this irritation to his players, rather than remaining calm,” said Mounir Ouassel.
Like when he received criticism over his choice to play preparation matches behind closed doors. If his argument was to better protect himself from possible spies from other nations, he above all frustrated journalists and supporters, forced to follow the meeting on Facebook live.
Need to reinvent yourself
It is ultimately on the tactical level that the former Olympique de Marseille player is playing big, especially since Algeria has a deep need for renewal after the surprise effect of 2019. “I am not questioning question the merit of the 2019 title. But afterward, you have to reinvent yourself. There is a new generation, more solutions and alternatives but it continues to rely on the same framework,” points out Mounir Ouassel.
“We are waiting for him on his tactical choices, Belmadi must show that he is a great coach and that victory in 2019 is not the result of chance. If Mahrez is not good, nothing obliges you to leave him for 90 minutes. Regardless of the statuses, he must make choices and better manage the way he approaches matches,” adds Mohamed. The first half against Angola still encourages the supporter to remain optimistic: “It reassures me. If the team is able to repeat the same quality of play and Belmadi makes the right choices to last 60-70 minutes, then Algeria can look anyone in the eye. »
Despite the stakes, the future of Djamel Belmadi does not seem to be in question. In any case, not at the moment. Even in the event of another poor performance in this CAN 2024, a departure of the coach seems ruled out. “Even if Algeria is eliminated at the end of the first round, the number 1 objective remains the 2026 World Cup with Djamel Belmadi,” says Mounir Ouassel. The coach was also extended until 2026 just before the start of the competition.