Achraf Hakimi, the big stop

Arrived against a check for 70 million after a very big season on the Inter Milan side, Achraf Hakimi was supposed to definitively settle the question of the right-back position at PSG. The Moroccan international, considered one of the best players in his position, has been on an alternating current since his arrival in the capital. Last season, very often restrained by the tactics of his former coach Mauricio Pochettino, the young 24-year-old player still delivered a satisfactory season. And we expected to see it really explode this year under Christophe Galtier. After a very interesting start to the season where he was able to take advantage of his qualities to excel in a piston role, the former Borussia Dortmund player paid for his coach’s tactical vagueness and ended up falling into line by chaining performances. whether in Ligue 1 or C1.

What to react to the Parisian supporters who expect much more. The paradox is even greater with regard to the services of the Moroccan in selection. Author of a CAN XXL last season, he did it again by being one of the best players of the Atlas Lions during the last World Cup where his team finished at the gates of the final (defeat against France ). He also very logically figured in the standard team of the competition, which also allowed him to be in the FIFA XI of the year. Solid defensively, important and effective offensively, the player trained at Real Madrid shows a very different palette with Morocco. And while he was playing on top of that with discomfort in the thigh, PSG hoped to see him return to World Cup form to follow up with similar club performances.

To read
PSG: Neymar gives his news

Affected physically and mentally

Like Mbappé, he had no cut, or almost, after his return from the World Cup and had quickly chained. The club had decided to send him to forced rest with his friend Mbappé afterwards. But now, if we look more closely, since the World Cup, Achraf Hakimi has been at a standstill or almost. He has been dragging an hamstring injury for several weeks now which caused him to miss 5 matches in a row in Ligue 1. Above all, Achraf Hakimi was cited in an alleged rape case which had a strong impact on the player. If he was heard by the investigators then released and that for the moment the investigation has not yet rendered its verdict while his lawyer denounces an attempted racketeering and that he denies the facts, he still seems very disturbed by this case. His call-up to Morocco during the break after he hadn’t played for a while felt like a breath of fresh air.

“I have spoken with Achraf Hakimi since the case, yes. He’s calm, that’s the most important thing. (…) We are wholeheartedly with him, it will do him good to return home, to feel the support”, also explained Walid Regragui when justifying his summons. Physically affected, Hakimi had taken advantage of this truce to find playing time in a friendly match against Brazil. He had played a big hour of play before being replaced. And he had not played the second match a few days later, against Peru. What will allow him to come back with his head in the right place and with better feelings? This is undoubtedly what Christophe Galtier believed but his performance against OL this Sunday did not reassure the skeptics. On the contrary. For several weeks now, Achraf Hakimi seems to be at a standstill and drags his spleen through the Parisian capital. Facing Nice this Saturday, he will have the opportunity to prove that he has the resources to revive. And it will still be expected.