Without Hakim Ziyech, Morocco stopped in the quarterfinals in the Africa Cup of Nations. But the CT, despite his disappointment, thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong and confirms his thought. As long as he does not think about the team, the Chelsea player will not play.
Without Hakim Ziyech, Morocco stopped in the quarterfinals in the Africa Cup of Nations. When the call-up of coach Vahid Halilhodžić was issued, the name of the former Ajax playmaker was not there. A surprise but up to a certain point, both because it had already happened in 2017, and because the relations between Ziyech and the recruiter have become tense in recent times. It all started when Ziyech refused to enter the field last summer (speaking of a physical problem) after starting a match on the bench. A scene that the Bosnian coach did not like at all and therefore the exclusion of the talent of the Blues was in the air. And the CT, despite the disappointment, thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong.
ATTITUDE – In some statements reported by AS, Halilhodžić confirms his thinking. As long as he does not think about the team, the Chelsea player will not see the national team. “I can’t call a player like Ziyech, even if he was Leo Messi. He Can ruin the group’s environment.” Therefore, certainly not technical problems, given that Ziyech is by and large the best player to be called up by Morocco. But the attitude, the one the CT doesn’t like, as he already explained in September after the offending matches: “It’s the first time I’ve seen a player who says he can’t play due to injury and doesn’t want to even when medical tests say who is fine. As long as I am the CT, I will not accept this type of behavior. “
AND TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS? – Said, done, with the exclusion of Ziyech, also approved by the federal leaders, with the president of the local Football Association explaining: “We hoped that Hakim could become a leader of the national team, capable of leading it to victory, not a player who does not the minimum effort and just waiting to receive the ball. And I don’t want to go into details … “. So, even if the green-and-reds qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in the play-off with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the risk is that the player is not there. “I have a group, a collective, and I want to keep it. I’ve already forgiven it twice, the third is too much. It’s not an easy decision for me, but you have to respect it. I’m not backing down.” And the topic is closed. Perhaps…
February 4, 2022 (change February 4, 2022 | 13:02)
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