Boussaboun points to PSV: “After his goal, he’s actually worth another five million euros again.”
1 min readLast weekend, Ismael Saibari and Anass Salah-Eddine, both of whom are set to leave PSV, played Morocco in the first match at the 2026 World Cup. Above all, the former managed to distinguish himself in the clash with five-time world champions Brazil.
Despite a 1-1 draw, Morocco was the better team in large parts of the match and, through Saibari, the Atlas Lions also took a 0-1 lead. Before halftime, Vinicius Junior, for the Brazilians, ensured the final score of 1-1.
Nevertheless, Ali Boussaboun believes that there is more to it for Morocco and Saibari during this tournament. ''This whets the appetite for more. It was a pleasure,'' the former footballer looks back on the Brazil - Morocco match in an interview with VoetbalPrimeur.
For Boussaboun, Saibari was a great standout on the Moroccan side. ''Saibari was fantastic, but I enjoyed two other players even more: Ayyoub Bouaddi and Noussair Mazraoui. Mazraoui carried out his duties almost perfectly. Defending, attacking, how he got past his direct opponent... Fantastic. About Bouaddi, of course, a lot has been said and written in recent days already. But it’s all deserved. At the age of eighteen, he is simply the director of Morocco. That’s bizarre. He moves so gracefully across the pitch and exudes so much class. After the World Cup, he’s going to make a very nice transfer'', said the former footballer.
After that, Boussaboun goes into Saibari's goal, who will leave for FC Bayern München after the World Cup for more than 55 million euros including bonuses. ''The pass from Brahim Diaz, the run from Saibari and that chip... Beautiful. After the match, PSV will probably have received a call from Bayern Munich—whether they can send Saibari to Germany very quickly. After his goal, he's actually just worth an extra five million euros,'' the former footballer said.
Comments5
Imo the biggest risk is the defensive transition. The article talks about controlling possession, but if the opponent bypasses the first line, our spacing goes weird. We should be stricter with the distances in those moments, otherwise it will be a long night 😅
I liked the mention of the midfield supporting the press, but PSV have to win second balls more consistently. When we lose it after the first press, it feels like we give away momentum immediately 💀
"Inside" stuff is cute but show me the end product in the box. If the chances are there, bring the 9 into it earlier, not waiting for the ball to come to him 🔥⚽
tbh i dont trust the fullback balance when they push high. if the winger cuts inside, the space behind the FB has to be covered or we get cooked on the counter 🤦♀️🐐
If PSV really shifted the build-up through the half-spaces like the article says, thats how you break teams that sit deep. Gut feeling it still needs more tempo from the first pass though, otherwise it turns into side-to-side recycling.