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Algeria: The Desert Warriors will hope to harness strong backing from local supporters when they open their campaign against the defending champions Argentina.
Residents of Lawrence, Kansas have fallen in love with Algeria, who have made their base camp in the city 40 miles west of Kansas City and Petkovic praised the north African team’s newfound fans for their warm welcome.
Videos of Algeria’s unexpected support in Lawrence have gone viral, showing emotional scenes of fans – many dressed in Algeria scarves, some fighting back tears – embracing the team and the World Cup atmosphere.
Here is more from Daniel Sperry in Lawrence:
Lawrence is located a little over 40 miles from Kansas City, a roughly 40-minute drive from the Metropolitan area that is hosting the base camps of Argentina, the Netherlands, and England for the World Cup.
All three are staying at boutique hotels around the city.
Well, they chose the humble Lawrence DoubleTree.
So where did this come from?
According to Stan Herd, a local artist, you have to go back to April, when it was officially announced that Lawrence would host Algeria.
“I think everybody’s surprised at it,” Herd said.
“We’re not.”
Mbappé’s relationship on the pitch with Ousmane Dembélé is perhaps a bigger issue.
Dembélé has never delivered his best football for the national team; lest we forget his calamitous performance in the World Cup final four years ago, when he was hooked at half-time.
Dembélé’s recent Ballon d’Or win has led to a clamour for him to picked in the No 9 position – where he has thrived since his reconversion at PSG under Luis Enrique – but that spot is occupied by Mbappé at international level.
When asked about Mbappé’s role as centre-forward, Deschamps’ retort is quite simple.
Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa have all made the same decision at club level over the last three years.
Repositioning him at this late juncture would be illogical.
But Dembélé’s struggles on the right of the attack and inability to create a partnership with the France captain are feeding a national debate akin to the one in England in 2006, when there were similar concerns about the ability to fit Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard into the same team.
Continue reading...Sources: The Guardian
