It has been known for a while now that Morocco national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic is not too fond of Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech and vice versa. The talented winger has never tried to hide his temper and never lacked confidence. It is safe to say the Bosnian expert sees it as arrogance and that the chemistry is just not there.Back in September, after claiming Ziyech didn’t want to train and wrongly claimed to be injured – Halilhodzic decided to dump the Chelsea winger from the Morocco set-up.🇲🇦🎙Vahid Halilhodzic on Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui:«I will never beg someone to join the team. If you disrupt the group, I won’t bring you, even if you’re Messi. I can always forgive – once, twice, but not three times.» pic.twitter.com/c2NLBim30e— Maghrib Foot (@MaghribFoot) February 3, 2022 Halilhodzic was unrepentant at leaving out a player who has 17 goals in 40 appearances for his national side even though his decision came under scrutiny when Egypt beat them 2-1 on Sunday as part of the AFCON in Cameroon.’After the [AFCON] tournament three years ago, he was the most criticised,’ Halilhodzic said of the 28-year-old.’He was booed, you mustn’t forget that. I don’t select a player who can unbalance the group, not even if his name is Lionel Messi.’Ziyech’s behaviour does not fit the selection. He doesn’t want to train, doesn’t want to play. He doesn’t take it seriously. I’m not going to beg him to come back.’Ziyech won’t be back at international football soon but the question remains – would the Atlas Lions have a better result with such a player in their ranks. Halilhodzic lamented the lack of a ‘killer’ in his team to convert their chances after they lost after extra time in Yaounde.’The players I selected are the best in the country. It was not the quality of the players, but the lack of opportunities.’, the Bosnian said.AFCON 2021: The Lions of Teranga roar to the final!While the tournament has been ongoing, Ziyech has continued to play for Chelsea and even scored in his club’s 2-0 win over Tottenham and 1-1 draw with Brighton.’He hasn’t been disciplined in the last two sessions and has refrained from training.’, Halilhodzic said of Ziyech in September last year. ‘He didn’t look like a player from a national team fighting to qualify for the World Cup.”For the first time in my coaching career, I saw a national team player who doesn’t want to train and claims to be injured, although tests have shown he can play. I won’t tolerate it.’Ziyech’s chances of playing in the World Cup in Qatar remain slim. At the end of March this year, Morocco will play DR Congo in a two-legged qualification play-off to reach the planetary competition.
