Morocco Coach Halilhodzic to Drop Underperforming Players Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers

New year, new challenge for Moroccan players who will have to fight hard to earn their place in the national team. According to the daily Al Akhbar, the coach does not intend to play the last qualifying matches for the 2022 CAN in Cameroon with a failing team. Vahid Halilhodzic has asked Moussa El Habachi, in charge of statistics within the technical staff, to provide him with a detailed report on the players’ performances with their clubs.

Already a few names of players are circulating. For the most part, they have had a very poor season with their respective clubs and will therefore not be lined up for the matches against Mauritania and Burundi. This is the case of Fayçal Fajr who did not have enough chances with his Turkish club, Sivassport. On the list, there is Mehdi Carcela who is losing his starting position with the Atlas Lions, due to his difficulties with Standard de Liège.

The player of the Saudi club Al-Nassr, Noureddine Amrabat is also in great difficulty, for having lacked consistency since the resumption of the championship. Nabil Dirar also finds himself in a bad position, as he will be relieved of his responsibilities within Fenerbahçe SK. He is no longer as efficient as he was and is a burden for the team. One thing is certain, Vahid Halilhodzic will not have to rack his brains, as he has already found the replacements for these out-of-form players.

In the ranks of internationals, some remain consistently performing and have no difficulty with their respective clubs. These include Romain Saïss who has become the star of Wolverhampton, as well as Yassine Bounou and Youssef En-Nesyri, indispensable at FC Seville. Vahid Halilhodzic can also count on Ayman Barkok, Nassim Boujellab, Achraf Hakimi or Hakim Ziyech, reports the same source.