Akliouche gains confidence with Paris Saint-Germain

This is not the first time the Spanish coach has supported the former Monaco player in front of the media, as he is accustomed to doing with his new signings or when his players are not at their best.

Akliouche said on Wednesday: "They help me a lot every day, both the coach and his technical staff. They give me a great deal of confidence, and that is very important."

By scoring his first goal last Saturday against Le Mans (3-1), the French international (12 caps and one goal) has undoubtedly gained more confidence after a relatively lackluster start to the season.

No pressure

He continued his brilliance four days later, during the big clash against England's Manchester City (4-2) in the Champions League, taking advantage of a mistake by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He was also behind the third goal scored by the Portuguese Vitinha thanks to his run on the right flank.

At the Etihad Stadium, the native of the Seine-Saint-Denis region (north of Paris) seemed free in his movements and very comfortable with the ball, justifying the decision to start him unexpectedly at the expense of the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The player of Algerian descent had said in March to Agence France-Presse, when he was still a player for Monaco, whose colors he had defended since 2020: "Pressure pushes you to raise your standards, as long as you know how to deal with it. I impose it on myself. But it doesn't bother me to be asked for more or for others to be stricter with me." He added about Monaco six years ago, which holds a special place in his heart: "It is the club I belong to."

Since that interview, many

things have changed.

At the age of twenty-four, he participated this summer in the World Cup in North America with the French national team. At the same time, and after negotiations that began several months ago, his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was completed for 50 million euros (about 56 million dollars).

The player, who also participated in the first training camp of the French national team under Zinedine Zidane, benefiting from the absence of Warren Zaïre-Emery due to injury, confirmed: "I grew up in the Île-de-France region, and joining a club of this size means a lot to me."

To be more consistent

His greatest area for development remains maintaining his level consistently at the highest levels, which is even more important at the Parisian club where competition is intense in the front line.

His former coach at Monaco, the Belgian Sébastien Pocognoli, said: "Maghnes goes through ups and downs, and that makes evaluating him a bit confusing. Sometimes we say: 'What a player!', and other times: 'He can offer more'."

This conclusion is shared by the player himself: "I must be more consistent."

Off the pitch, he may seem shy. When Luis Enrique was asked on Friday about his relatively quiet personality, he did not want to go into details, saying: "I have to talk about the player more than the person. His style of expression does not matter; the high level depends on the footballing level. He started the season in a wonderful way, and he can play in almost all positions. I am very happy with his adaptation."

Upon his arrival in Paris, Akliouche defined his goal by saying: "Currently, my goal is to integrate well, to develop, and to be effective on the pitch."

But Enrique confirmed on Friday that adapting to the style of play he adopts is "easy."

The former Spain coach added: "You have to run like crazy, and this is not about age but about your technical quality and your mentality. This is the key: to be ready to attack and defend."