Standard de Liège Star Mehdi Carcela Benched for Third Straight Match

What’s going on with Mehdi Carcela? Nothing at all, replies Phillipe Montanier, the coach of Standard de Liège, in the face of the questions raised by the player’s absence from three important matches played by his team in the Pro League. According to the coach, "the season is not limited to three days" and Mehdi will be able to regain his position in due course. He explained that he lines up the players capable of performing with the playing time they receive.

Several observers believe that the man’s explanations are not credible. Nordin Jbari, consultant for Eleven Sports, and José Jeunechamps, former coach of Mehdi Carcela with the youth teams at Standard, point out that Philippe Montanier has still not given the reasons why Mehdi has remained nailed to the substitutes’ bench when he could have been useful to his team on the field. "I am surprised, stunned and even angry. I don’t really understand how we can end up there. When I see the Standard match against Genk, everyone expected to see Mehdi come on. The match was closed and Mehdi is a can opener. Not having brought him in is almost ridiculous," says José Jeunechamps. He adds that the coach has made a choice that suggests the existence of a latent disagreement, reports La Dernière heure.

For Nordin Jbari, Medhi Carcela’s strong character can be tiring. But the treatment inflicted on him risks causing the club to lose a talented player with personality. According to him, it may be a ruse to get rid of the player in a futile way, especially since the club is going through some financial difficulties. "We know the finances of Standard and Mehdi is a big salary, we must not forget that. Not playing him, would it be a way to disgust him so that he leaves the club? Maybe. But if you want to sell a player, you have to play him a minimum of times to highlight him," he noted.

José Jeunechamps calls on the leaders to get rid of the unease at the heart of the situation, in order to allow Mehdi to join his teammates on the field and not sit on the substitutes’ bench, the same source specifies.