In the second round of the African Cup of Nations group stage, defending champions Algeria lost 0-1 to Equatorial Guinea. The embarrassing record of not winning in two consecutive rounds of group matches has put Algeria on the verge of being out. The happiest people in this regard are definitely the West Ham United fans. Because this means that the Algerian national script Rahma in the team is expected to return to the team early. This is definitely of great benefit to the coach Moyes who leads the team to compete for the fourth place.
Just before and after Algiersia lost to Equatorial Guinea, West Ham United lost 2-3 to Leeds United. With this defeat, West Ham United's struggle for the fourth place has become more and more serious: only two points more than Arsenal, who are fifth and have two games less, and only four points more than Tottenham Hotspur, who are sixth and have four fewer games. It is no exaggeration to say that any failure in the next round of the Premier League may be overtaken by the North London twins. You don't have to think about it to know that West Ham manager Moyes is under great pressure. In particular, the absence of main midfielder Benrahma made him scratch his head.
Think about it, as a player who is stronger than famous, Benahma is the absolute main force of West Ham United. With his excellent offensive ability, he has scored eight goals and four assists in 28 appearances in all competitions this season. As a midfielder, this efficiency is not generally high. It is worth mentioning that Benrahma and the team's forward Antonio specially "called", and the two often scored tacit goals in the game. In addition, he can also play in multiple positions in the midfield. As the schedule gradually entered a period of fatigue, Benrahma's golden oil attributes were crucial.
However, such a key "thigh-level" player played with the national team in the Africa Cup of Nations at a critical moment, which made West Ham United fans a little depressed. Even more depressing, Benrahma, who was regarded as a treasure by West Ham United, was abandoned by Algeria. In the first game against Sierra Leone, Benrahma was substituted in the 83rd minute, playing less than ten minutes. In this match against Equatorial Guinea, he simply did not get a chance to play. In this regard, West Ham United fans are quite speechless: if you don't need to, then why do you have to recall Benrahma?
Fortunately, Benrahma is expected to return after the group stage. After all, Algeria will face Côte d'Ivoire, the strongest in the group. Referring to the strength shown in the first two games of the defending champion, I am afraid that it is more fierce and less auspicious. What's more, the promotion situation in Côte d'Ivoire is still unclear, and it is likely that Algeria will try to qualify as the top of the group. Once this is the case, Algeria, which has won three battles, is likely to be directly out.
As for Benrahma, who makes West Ham United fans worry, he will embark on a journey back to the Premier League. Looking at West Ham's recent fixtures, his return is definitely beneficial. In fact, the reason why many middle and lower teams in the Premier League are high and low is because of the lack of manpower in the second half of the season. With Benrahma returning to the line of fire, West Ham United's reserves at the midfield position will be a chunk. The coach who aims to compete for the fourth place, Moyes, also has a greater confidence!