Achraf Hakimi is free. Trained at Real then passed through Dortmund and Inter, the Moroccan international arrived in Paris in 2021 for just under €70 million. The best right back in the world? One of the best ? In any case, he arrived with the label of big name… which he only deserved intermittently. In fact, Hakimi has often been well below expectations, very neutral, giving the impression of only giving part of what he is capable of doing. Returning from a World Cup during which he shone with Morocco, semi-finalist on the Qatari grounds, we thought he was launched. “I gained a lot of confidence at the World Cup, I am more liberated,” he rejoiced at the start of 2023. It did not last. Everything has changed since the start of the season.
New demonstration Tuesday in the Champions League, during the victory against Dortmund (2-0), at the Parc des Princes. And this at the end of a meeting which only started after a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of the earthquake which recently affected “his” Morocco. 119 balls played, three successful dribbles, as many interceptions, 13 balls recovered, three key passes, six duels won (out of 14)… The numbers don’t lie, they speak for themselves. And there was this magnificent goal, that of the break, shortly before the hour mark. “It happens very quickly… Vitinha gives me the ball, we made a magnificent combination (a double one-two, Editor’s note ) and I see the defender coming at me very quickly, I make a hook and I score from the outside (from the right)”, describes, in the mixed zone, the native of Madrid, already a scorer and passer once in the league since the start of the season. Yesterday he was frustrated and frustrated. Today, he is finally himself, ready to give the full measure of his talent over time in a tactical plan and a squad that puts him to his advantage.
So much the better, because with Ousmane Dembélé struck by chronic ineffectiveness and the two contenders for the center forward position still looking for each other, Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos, Marco Asensio in the infirmary and Bradley Barcola still little used , midfielders who also score relatively little, Paris-SG really needs goals and scorers to support Kylian Mbappé. The latter, a great friend of Achraf Hakimi in the city, has scored eight of the 12 Parisian goals in all competitions since the restart. It’s no longer Mbappé-dependence. We should invent another word.
“I don’t like doing this kind of analysis,” he explains, when asked to analyze his (good) start to the season. It’s you (journalists) who like to talk about this kind of thing, to criticize or say the right things. It’s up to you to say it. It’s the start of the season and I just hope to continue doing my job like I’ve been doing for two years in Paris.” Except that the former student of Zinédine Zidane does his job better. Much better. “He’s a top player in his position,” underlines “Lucho,” praising his “unique energy,” his “ability to repeat efforts” and to be in “important areas” of the field.
Asked if he feels better with the new coach, Hakimi does not hesitate: “Yes, my performances are better, I feel a little free and better used”. The presence of Ousmane Dembélé, a real side player, also allows him to move into the middle, to be more involved in the game inside than when he had to deal with Leo Messi for example, the seven-time Ballon Argentine gold loving to return on his left foot. “We have great players. In their register, Messi and Neymar were the best, but we did not manage to play together, to be connected, he explains, in response to a question relating to the departure of the two former Barcelona players and the changes since the beginning of the season. This year I think we are doing a great job of being together. We play with eleven, we attack with 11 and we defend with 11. I think that is the strength of this new PSG and it shows on the pitch when we press, when we attack together. This is indeed a notable change since the start of the season.
Let us recall that the said Hakimi had made this declaration in the pages of the Spanish daily Marca, during the World Cup: “In Paris there are great players, as in the selection, but with Morocco, I have more importance in the game, I touch the ball more, they give me the importance of being comfortable. In Paris it’s very different: sometimes you run and you don’t get the ball. Here they are trying to find me, they know how important I can be offensively and defensively. They give me a lot of confidence and I try to give it back to them.” A priori, Luis Enrique has understood well what it takes to give wings to the Lion of the Atlas, he whose Spanish team had just been eliminated by Morocco in Qatar, in the round of 16.
“The coach sets up a game which makes me feel freer, I can attack, go inside and play within the second line,” explains Achraf Hakimi, in French please. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I hope it continues like this.” It’s not just him. With Ousmane Dembélé, the understanding is already good. “We combine well,” he notes. The flow is also obviously going well with Warren Zaire-Emery. The three worked well on the side on Tuesday, in a match that Paris “dominated”.
“The group is difficult. This victory gives us a lot of confidence and these are three very important points. I hope we will continue like this, that we will have a great match in Newcastle and that we will win the three points there,” concludes Hakimi, who Luis Enrique believes still has a lot of room for improvement. , particularly in terms of finishing. The person concerned must still gain “tranquility and patience to complete his actions well”. This does not only apply to the Parisian number 2, knowing that the Rouge et Bleu only scored three of their 17 shots on Tuesday evening, including one out of four for Achraf Hakimi. Newcastle-PSG will in any case be on October 4. Before that, the French champions have a meeting with their best enemies Marseille on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) in Paris.
