Standard Liège Star Carcela Struggles Amid Messi Comparison and Exit Rumors

The difficult relationship between Mehdi Carcela and his coach Michel Preud’homme is not helping the Moroccan international who, moreover, is not having a famous season with his club. As a result, the Belgian media are announcing the probable departure of the Atlas Lion from Standard de Liège at the end of the season.

The Belgian coach Michel Preud’homme, who recently spoke about the performance of his player, had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction: "I had hoped to be able to make further progress with Carcela, this was not possible. Would it be the case next season? I don’t think so," he had said.

However, this is without counting on the totally opposite opinion of his former coach, Éric Gerets. Indeed, in an interview with the Belgian daily La Dernière Heure, the latter affirmed that Carcela is perhaps the best in Belgium in terms of pure talent but currently, he is below his level. I don’t know why. How come such a talented player doesn’t bring more? " Gerets finally wondered, finding that this can be "terribly frustrating for a coach" to live such a situation.

For Gerets, doing without Carcela "would be a great loss. If he reached a better level next season, the club could keep him. And to conclude that if it doesn’t work for one reason or another, there may be other solutions than letting him go. As such, the former Standard de Liège player is keen to keep Carcela in the club. Moreover, Gerets thinks that the Moroccan international could give the best of himself "if he was given more freedom like Lionel Messi at Barcelona".