Everyone is waiting to take us down – Algeria football coach

Algeria coach wary of complacency

JOHANNESBURG, June 17 (ANA) – That his side have not lost a match since November 2018 weighs heavily on the shoulders of Algeria men’s football coach Djamel Belmadi.

Many would take great confidence from such a prolonged run of fine form, but Belmadi insists he aims to avoid complacency at all costs for the current Africa Cup of Nations champions.

“This unbeaten run means a lot, principally because it shows how consistent we’ve been since being crowned African champions in 2019 and how we got right back to work on delivering big performances,” said Belmadi

“Of course, it won’t be easy to keep the run going, especially as everyone is waiting to take us down.”

Recent friendly internationals involving Algeria saw the North Africans defeat Mauritania 4-1, Mali 1-0 and Tunisia 2-0. It took Algeria’s unbeaten run against African opposition to 27 games, beating the previous record of Ivory Coast with 26.

The three games also allowed Belmadi to experiment with his squad, giving opportunities to central defenders Ahmed Touba and Abdelkader Bedrane, who showed that they could fill in for regulars Djamel Benlamri and Aissa Mandi. Ramiz Zerrouki and Haris Belkebla also impressed, while Riyad Mahrez showed once again how important his skill and experience are in big moments.

The Manchester City striker, absent against Mauritania, grabbed the only goal of the game against Mali, and his side’s second against Tunisia after Baghdad Bounedjah opened the scoring. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman