Seriously injured in the left knee last weekend, Amine Harit is forfeited for the 2022 World Cup and will certainly be unavailable for a long time. A heartbreak for the Marseille midfielder and an invaluable opportunity for his replacement, Anass Zaroury.
The left winger of Burnley (English D2) probably had a moved thought for his teammate by posing on the picture national team official. But their technical profiles are so different that one wonders about the logic behind the summoning of the left winger.
The versatile Amine Harit could cover several attacking positions (winger, second striker), but also in the middle (attacking midfielder, midfielder). He demonstrated it under Vahid Halilhodzic who used it in left winger, while Walid Regragui had lined him up for the post of left midfielder against Paraguay last September.
In the structure of the list established by the national coach, Amine Harit’s vocation was more to cover Soufiane Boufal. The profile of Soufiane Rahimi, author of an interesting year 2022, met this need.
However, in the minds of the national team staff, the former Raja striker apparently did not give sufficient guarantees at the last international gathering. From then on, the coach pulled out of his hat Anass Zaroury who, until then, represented the youth selections in Belgium.
The native of Mechelen (Belgium) stands out from Amine Harit on several points. In this case, in his involvement in the construction of actions and in the finishing. Explanations by the Data.
A goalscoring dribbler
With Abdessamad Ez Zalzouli and Soufiane Boufal, it was believed that the national team was equipped enough to turn the heads of opposing defenders. However, Walid Regragui seems to be taking advantage of Amine Harit’s package to add a third defensive tormentor.
Compared to former Schalke 04 player, Anass Zaroury attempts more dribbling (7 against 5)with nearly equal success (54%). The preferential positions of the two players on the field explain this difference.
In a register of percussion, the resident of Burnley in the Championship has a habit of along the sideline in order to outflank his opponent by running or dribbling. This particularity is also supported by the number of crosses attempted by the right-hander (3 crosses/game against 1 for Harit).
Another specificity further widens the chasm between the two players: efficiency in front of goal. Anass Zaroury beat the opposing goalkeeper 10 times in 2022. Yet his cumulative xG score is barely 4,6. This differential says a lot about his efficiency in front of goal, unlike Amine Harit. The left-hander has found the net five times. A total equivalent to his cumulative xG score (5,3).
Shortcomings in the construction of the game
Unlike Amine Harit, Anass Zaroury is therefore less attracted to the axis, which does not allow him to combine with his center forward or his midfielders. As proof, he has fewer assists (4 against 6) and attempts fewer passes in the final third (2 against 4) than Amine Harit. Additionally, the winger 22 ans is originally only one assist before one shot per game against two assists for Harit. The comparison is also unfavorable to him in terms of xA (3.6 versus 5.3).
These shortcomings have their origin in the very nature of Anass Zaroury’s profile. To know a hard-hitting winger who does not hesitate to provoke his opponent. This style of play comes with risk taking. And his positioning on the side prevents him from several passing angles, as indicated by his percentage of successful passes. (75% against 88% for Harit).
Defensively, the differences between the two players are not significant. Anass Zaroury and Amine Harit play the same number of defensive duels per game (5). That said, the Burnley player comes out less often a winner (50% against 57% of successful duels).
Except for a defensive involvement far from being a model of its kind, Anass Zaroury’s profile clearly stands out from that of Amine Harit. By summoning the first to compensate for the package of the second, Walid Regragui took his world on the wrong foot. It only remains to hope that his new protege does the same with the future opponents of the national team.