October-November: return to the shadows
The return to the shadows was radical: his T1 only brought him into play once in ten championship matches. But Sébastien Pocognoli has not abandoned him. “Anouar must understand that there is a lot of competition and that the selection is earned in matches and in training, during the week.explained the Liégeois at the end of September, after a 3-0 success against Kortrijk. Message received: “Anouar worked hard in training”explained T1 a few weeks later. “Everything we do is done to help the players and make them aware that, sometimes, we have to adjust certain things.”
Investment and decisive gesture
And then, finally, Ait El Hadj found the light again last week, with a decisive comeback against Nice, punctuated by an assist in the 92nd minute for Ivanovic and a half-time win against Westerlo. “Anouar first had eight or ten matches at the start of the season in a most complicated period, where the results and the team dynamics were not thererewinds Sébastien Pocognoli. Then others came along and took the opportunity to play. As a coach, we have two options: either we give up, or we support him and work on things that need to be worked on, mentally. Then we bring out the player at the right time. There I felt he was ready. And his performances will continue if he continues to invest.”
gullWe prefer a coach who explains why Anouar didn’t play than someone who says nothing.
It is still too early to know if Ait El Hadj is back at his best, but he has at least left the shadows. “Anouar reacted well to the coach’s explanations.”his father, Idriss, answers us today. “The coach had asked him to be more involved in training and we felt that sooner or later he would regain his level and playing time. It must also be said that the team was performing less well at the start of the season. “ And that a lot of interesting balls were not used wisely, unlike what Ivanovic managed on the 2-1 goal against Nice.
“The conversation he had with the coach did him good”underlines the father. “We prefer that to a coach who doesn’t say anything, doesn’t explain why you’re not playing.”
gullHe had to learn to go to the duel and hook the opponent.
What has changed? The one who was trained at the Anderlecht “beautiful school”, where he was even nicknamed the “mini-Boussoufa” had to learn to be violent and go more into the duel. A key element in the Belgian championship. “He already had great technique and game intelligence, but he had to acquire that. As a father, I don’t forget that he remains young and that it wasn’t easy for a small guy like him to go into a duel and catch the opponent. It’s something he wasn’t really asked to do when he was younger at Anderlecht. He is 22 years old now, and is in a team that I personally like. A team where we play football, but also where everyone fights. He wasn’t necessarily in this approach before, but now he understands. There is no regret on our side for having chosen the Union. We are very happy that he has returned to Brussels. It was less obvious when he was alone, at Genk, and not playing. Here, he can come see us regularly.”
With Franjo Ivanovic as a superscorer, the Union enjoys itself and jumps into the Top 6 with both feet
And Ait El Hadj parents can see their child in action on the lawns again. Hoping that he has resumed his journey towards the heights promised when he was very young.
