PROFILE | Maverick Himad Abdelli key to Angers’ survival efforts | OneFootball

Abdelli was given the vice-captaincy role at the start of Angers 23/24 Ligue 2 campaign, and it was clear why. Whilst being the obvious technical leader in the squad, he also carries the torch when it comes to instigating pressing manoeuvres. Whenever there is a stoppage in play he is constantly communicating with his teammates. Now in Ligue 1, he has taken the captain’s armband.

Given the horrors they had experienced in the previous season, being relegated from Ligue 1 with an 18-point total, Angers began 2024 miraculously at the top of Ligue 2. However, their form dropped, affected by some starting players leaving for the AFCON and what looked to be fatigue creeping into their limited squad. In late March they managed to revert back to winning ways, coming behind from a two-goal deficit to win 4-2 away at Concarneau. In this game, Abdelli displayed he can be just as affective in a deeper position, keeping the ball in tight areas and cutting through opponents with passes in between defensive lines.

The Angers gameplan revolves around the technician. When the team need to recycle an attacking move it often lands at his feet to start again. Whilst they are not prolific goal scorers, le SCO have shown in Ligue 1 they are more than capable of bursting through opponents with quick one-two touch passing moves in wide areas in which Abdelli will undoubtedly feature.

Marseille show interest in Abdelli

His profile is a rare one to observe. A very strong player, a diligent runner with supreme stamina and a conjurer of magic when the ball is at his feet. It is a rare sight to see Abdelli dispossessed in a physical duel, and when on the ball his former Le Havre coach, Oswald Tanchot, compares him to an “unmoveable piece of furniture”.

His ability to break out of pressure and beat a man with trickery was fully demonstrated during a shock result away in Monaco. Having taken the early lead in the first half Angers spent much of the second resisting the waves of Monaco pressure. The Algerian maestro would pop the Monaco bubble by drawing fouls and splitting his opposition’s marking time and again.

This versatility is an incredibly important asset to his coach, Dujeux, who believes his star player has even more to show and encourages the 25-year-old to occupy spaces further up the field more, to improve his and the team’s effectiveness in those last few yards. Amid reported interest from Marseille, it is clear that Abdelli will leave Angers in 2025, the key question being, when.

GFFN | Tom Wiseman