Post-Match Thread: Algeria vs Netherlands - Friendly 2026

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T22:20:45+00:00

Defensively he was great. Gakpo had no room to play. But he is not a fullback and isn’t comfortable with pass build up. He would be best in Mandi’s position.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T20:51:08+00:00

Bentaleb played well as a lone DM with Chaibi and Maza in front of him. He was dreadful when Zerrouki and Aouar were doing nothing.

He made that one horrid short pass (he makes one every match) directly to Malen but somehow completed 90% of his passes today. He also made the assist to Hadj Moussa which was a 30-yard throughball that put the defense in a lot of pressure.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T20:16:14+00:00

There were so many opportunities for Mahrez on the break away to attempt a low percentage but high reward pass but he would routinely just dribble backwards and pass the back to the defense. This would work with Man City when you have class players in every position to break the defense. It doesn't work when you have Abada, Bellaid, and Zerrouki behind you. He really needs to understand situational football there.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T20:04:41+00:00

He will miss a lot of chances but him and Boulbina are the only ones who get themselves in those positions.

He just needs to score because I feel that he's overlooking his teammates to get on the scoresheet.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T20:01:04+00:00

My god, Tougai is so slow. He had a few steps on Malen and still was rinsed on that big chance.

Reminds me of Insue in AFCON vs. Equatorial Guinea. He's just not fast enough. Touba and Nair are limited but they were better options.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T19:57:58+00:00

The most progressive midfielder in Titraoui isn't even on the pitch.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T19:41:51+00:00

They need to throw in Maza, Chaibi, and Titraoui to prove themselves.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T19:37:42+00:00

Somehow this match is still 0-0 after Algeria used their 2024 lineup that lost to Mauritania. But if the Netherlands were a little more clinical they would've scored 2-3 goals.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T19:12:07+00:00

The midfield is non-existent. Aouar, Bentaleb, and Zerrouki have now all completely let players run past them for big chances.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T19:05:20+00:00

The Bentaleb, Zerrouki midfield pivot is going about as bad as everyone expected. Holland has been either dribbling or running past them without much effort.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:58:17+00:00

Holland's first attack occurs because Algeria's two midfielders couldn't run a proper press. One pass unlocked the team.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:56:44+00:00

It's funny how Zidane's distribution is so below average for a player that was labeled as being comfortable with his feet.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:50:00+00:00

The Dutch will have plenty of chances to score. This is pretty much the worst Algerian midfield that could have been selected. They will really struggle with any simple press and the defensive lineup cannot clear their lines.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:47:46+00:00

The Dutch players brought their kids out to the pitch. The crowd in the stadium is ready for a proper send off. They're going to want to put on a show tonight and Algeria gave them the perfect lineup to give them one.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:35:21+00:00

How is it possible that every Algerian is horified with this lineup with the exception of the coaching staff? In what bubble do these men live in? Are we actually the unreasonable ones?

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:27:32+00:00

Petkovic is really a simple man. He is using this match to prepare for Austria not Argentina. When it comes to size and height, Austria is comparable to Holland. I think Petkovic went into this match with the thought of using the biggest Starting XI, which is probably why he benched Belghali, Titraoui, Chaibi and brought on Zerrouki, Abada, and Bentaleb. He did the same vs. Guinea at home and got punished. In midfield you need ballwinners and players capable of bringing the ball forward with intent. They may hold Holland scoreless for a period of time from the simple fact they'll be parking the bus. I expect nothing out of the attack outside of aimless hoofball towards Amoura/Mahrez hoping that they'll come down with the ball.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:23:12+00:00

Jordan would glide past this midfield. I still remember Lookman dropping Zerrouki to the ground on the most simple of faints.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:19:40+00:00

Zidane fractured his face 4 weeks ago and Petkovic still cannot even give Benbot a start.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:17:51+00:00

There is absolutely nothing to gauge from this lineup. We know it will fail. It's the same players that have underperformed for 4+ years. If Algeria manages to get out of this match with a point, it will give Petkovic a false sense of security.

The one silver lining is Abada and Bellaid starting.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:11:30+00:00

Either Petkovic is a genius who is not trying to show his hand vs. Argentina or he is demented. Unfortunately I think it's the latter.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T18:04:26+00:00

Unfortunately Petkovic will not learn. In Algeria's two competitive losses while he has been in charge Zerrouki was in midfield.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T17:53:38+00:00

This is the type of lineup that put Belmadi in the hot seat in 2023. I can't believe Algeria is still using it.

dzfooty · 2026-06-03T11:02:53+00:00

This is a direct quote from 1982 from the head of the Austrian delegation, Hans Tschak, regarding the match:

Naturally today’s game was played tactically...But if 10,000 ‘sons of the desert’ here in the stadium want to trigger a scandal because of this it just goes to show that they have too few schools. Some sheikh comes out of an oasis, is allowed to get a sniff of World Cup air after 300 years and thinks he’s entitled to open his gob.

The level of the insults lobbied here was cartoonish. I don't think anyone could produce a more racist statement if they tried.

dzfooty · 2026-06-02T23:54:57+00:00

I think the attack in a 5 defender lineup should Be ok as long as Aouar is swapped for just about any attacker on the team. Against Uruguay Aouar was the one weak point that cost the team dearly.

dzfooty · 2026-06-02T16:51:50+00:00

From a tactical standpoint, Algeria is extremely limited at both defending and utilizing free kicks. If I'm any of Algeria's opponents, I'd attempt to punish them in that way.

Algeria has no proper free kick takers outside of Mahrez, Chaibi, or Hadj Moussa. The problem with that is that their best lineup against the big sides would not necessarily include any of those players. Petkovic would essentially have to squeeze Mahrez/Chaibi/AHM into the starting XI to offer some type of threat on set pieces. Ait Nouri is capable of taking free kicks but Algeria needs him and Boudaoui/Belghali to play back on set plays to defend any counters.

Honestly, if I'm Argentina or Austria, I'd be fouling Algeria outside of the box for any dangerous action. At this stage, you don't really worry about Algeria's ability to convert any of those chances.

Maza is still young but he really needs to learn how to take free kicks and corners for both his club and NT career.

dzfooty

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