Friendly? There are no friendlies for Belmadi's Fennecs

Djamel Belmadi is one of the most charismatic coaches on African soil at the minute. His background, how he handles himself on the touchline - and how he speaks his mind make him one of the most desirable interviewees out there.

In a conversation with RMC, Belmadi said he's always on alert because he knows his decisions are being judged harshly. And although his team is set to play Senegal in a friendly on Tuesday, for the sharp-talking coach, the concept of a friendly is alien to him because he's constantly under pressure.

After drawing 0-0 with Tanzania in the AFCON qualifications, the noise back home is back - even though Algeria qualified in style.

"I've been in this job for five years. We won the 2019 AFCON, but some people still aren't convinced. In these qualifications, we've won our first five games had won 15 points out of 15. And in the last game, we wanted to test the youngsters who are only coming through to the national team. Only one player who won the 2019 tournament was in the team - Aissa Mandi. All the other players were new. We could have won with a different team selection, but we would learn nothing new about the team. Some people don't understand that - or they pretend not to understand. After all, we're the only African team to have taken 16 out of 18 points."

The game in Dakar will provide another valuable test for Belmadi and his team. The AFCON holders recently beat Brazil to confirm they're the strongest national team on the continent.

"Senegal is the team to beat. They are the team you want to compare yourself with. Their recent games prove it. The 4-2 win over Brazil may has been in a friendly, but it was impressive nonetheless. We want to perform well in Dakar."

It seems Belmadi has been judged harshly in recent times.

"In recent times? No. I've been judged harshly since the first day I arrived in the national team!"

A new generation of players arrive for the Fennec Foxes, and Belmadi's task will be to blend in the old with the new and keep the momentum of performing well at the big tournaments.

"Some players have reached the end of the cycle, and we need new blood to regenerate the group. It takes time to make the transition, but we can't afford the time. We have to do it quickly."

AFCON QUALIFIERS

Monday

19.00: (1.80) Guinea B. (3.50) Sierra Leone (4.70)

Tuesday

22.00: (1.30) Cameroon (5.20) Burundi (11.0)

***odds are subject to change