Crushed by Messi and Argentina, Algeria raises deep concerns

Algeria was dominated from start to finish by Argentina in their World Cup opener, losing to Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick. The Fennecs’ passive performance has sparked serious concerns among analysts.

Yet pre-match statements had been combative. Luca Zidane in particular had promised to “make life difficult” for the defending champions, insisting his team was “physically and mentally ready”. The facts contradicted these ambitions: the Algerian goalkeeper was directly involved in the first two goals scored by Messi, before a third sealed the result.

For analyst Walid Acherchour, the problem goes beyond the Argentine striker’s performance alone. “I found Algeria’s performance far too passive,” he said. “They took refuge, after the match, behind Lionel Messi’s performance by saying: ‘When Messi is like that, he’s unplayable’. It’s a bit like the tree hiding the forest and I’m not a fan of this admission of weakness.”

Acherchour was keen to put the Messi argument into perspective: “Yes, Messi had a great match but it’s not him who defends for Argentina, nor him who plays in midfield either. Without the ball, he’s useless to his team and there’s a way to do something different and put this Argentina team in danger as they entered the tournament.”

His verdict on manager Vladimir Petkovic’s work is harsh: “There was a football lesson from the Argentines and a huge disappointment in intensity, tactical coherence and the plan put in place. We’re not far from absolute shame for Algeria. Thankfully Luca Zidane wakes up a bit at the end because it could have been 4-0 or 5-0. Some players weren’t up to the occasion, were too passive.”

The rest of the tournament looks tricky for the Fennecs, who must imperatively raise their level if they hope to qualify for the next phase.