After Algeria’s disillusionment at the CAN, Riyad Mahrez took stock of what his team missed during the competition.
The team ofAlgeria who won CAN 2019 seems a long way away. Since this date, the Fennecs have had a series of disappointments with a catastrophic CAN 2021 (one point in three matches) and a second consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. At the start of 2024, Djamel Belmadi’s men disappointed again and scored two points in a group that seemed affordable, leading to the coach’s departure.
Star of this team, Riyad Mahrez was not spared from criticism throughout the competition, both for his performances on the pitch and the controversy sparked by one of his tweets. This Thursday, the former Manchester City player took stock of this CAN and deplored the overall level of his team. “We weren’t good, we weren’t up to par. That’s two CANs in a row and three deadlines where we miss out. We won so much for a long time, but in football, you win, you lose… You lose more than you win, that’s the reality”he admitted.
A future on hold
Concerning his future in the selection, the 32-year-old did not wish to look into the subject. “My career with the national team, now is not the time to talk about it. There will be a good time to speak and I will speak. For now, we’re talking about the team.”he indicated.
