Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic and the stars of the “Greens” are preparing to take on Guinea on Thursday 6 June at the Nelson Mandela stadium on the outskirts of Algiers in the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, before facing Uganda on 10 June in Kampala in the fourth round.
The Algerian national team leads Group Seven with 6 points, thanks to wins over Somalia in Algeria (3-1) and Mozambique in Maputo (2-0) under former coach Djamel Belmadi. Petkovic is looking to record a third consecutive victory to boost Algeria’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the fifth time after missing out on the last two editions in Russia and Qatar.
The Swiss coach led the Algerian team to a 3-2 friendly victory over Bolivia in March, before drawing 3-3 with South Africa. Analysts have highlighted the attacking capabilities of Yacine Brahimi’s team-mates, but have revealed the defensive frailty that has become a problem for Vladimir Petković, who is looking for solutions.
Algeria’s coach is concentrating on recovery and rapid counter-attacking. The Fennecs’ training sessions at Sidi Moussa have been marked by intensive tactical work on the part of Petković to correct the errors that became apparent during the friendlies against Bolivia and South Africa, particularly on the defensive front, which he has spoken about in his media appearances, insisting on the need to correct and avoid them.
Sources have confirmed that the Swiss coach has been working with the players on how to get the ball out of the defensive half fluidly and efficiently, following the passing errors in the March friendlies, by testing several defensive solutions. He also stressed the need for rapid transition between defensive and attacking phases in order to exploit any space the opposition may leave.
Petković insisted during his talks with his colleagues, including Brahimi, on the importance of each player respecting his defensive duties, working collectively to recover the ball quickly after losing it, which could put additional pressure on the opponent and prevent him from building the game freely, as happened during the games against Bolivia and South Africa where Mandi’s teammates sometimes experienced serious defensive problems.
Petković’s strategy is very similar to that of Real Madrid, overseen by the renowned Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, which contributed to their success this season in particular, when they won the Spanish league and the Champions League for the 15th time in their history.
Real Madrid’s direct, fast-paced style of play and strict defensive discipline as a collective unit is a formidable weapon that has ended the hopes of many of the continent’s top clubs, led by England’s Manchester City, who are renowned for playing some fine football at the moment under their coach, the philosopher Pep Guardiola, according to many observers.
It should be noted that Algeria’s coach is looking for two positive results in the matches against Guinea and Uganda in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, to answer many critics, who downplayed what the team showed in the friendly matches last March, and who strongly criticised him for excluding many old names, such as Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Youcef Belaïli.
Leave a Reply