🚨 Nuno Mendes on Achraf Hakimi scoring a hat trick and receiving a 10.0 rating against Le Havre:
“After the game, I looked at the ratings and saw Achraf had 10 out of 10. I thought, okay, he scored three goals, what else were they supposed to give him?
But then I started laughing because I remembered something.
He’s supposed to be our right-back.
I remember when we first started playing together at PSG, there were times when Achraf would be so far forward that I’d look across the pitch and wonder whether we’d changed formation without anybody telling me.
I’d ask him, ‘Achraf, are you coming back?’
He’d say, ‘Don’t worry, Nuno.’
And then he’d make another run.
That’s the problem with Achraf. Sometimes you think he’s finished attacking, and he’s only just getting started.
People see him score three goals against Le Havre and immediately say, ‘It’s Ligue 1.’
Okay. I understand.
But I have a question.
When Achraf is playing in the Champions League against some of the best teams in Europe, is that Ligue 1 too?
Because I’ve watched him do the same things against top opposition. I’ve watched him run at defenders who are supposed to be among the best in the world. I’ve watched him defend, recover, attack again and still have the energy to make another run in the final minutes.
So which competition are we supposed to use to judge him?
If he performs in France, the league is too easy. If he performs in Europe, people move on to something else.
At some point, you have to give the man his respect.
And people don’t understand how difficult his position is.
When a striker scores a hat trick, everybody talks about his finishing. Nobody asks why he wasn’t defending.
Achraf scores a hat-trick, and tomorrow somebody will still be analysing whether he left too much space behind him.
That’s life as a full-back.
The funny thing is that he takes defending seriously. We talk about positioning, about the players we’re facing, about when to go forward and when to stay.
But once Achraf sees an opportunity to attack, you can almost see him making the decision before the ball reaches him.
And when you play with him long enough, you start recognising those moments.
Sometimes I’ll look at the space opening up on his side and think, he’s going to go.
Then he goes.
Now he’s scored three goals in one match, and I’m supposed to go into training and act like this is normal.
Imagine the coach asking the forwards to work on their finishing after a game like that.
They’ll be looking at Achraf.
And he’ll be standing there with three goals and a perfect rating.
I told him once that he should remember he’s a defender.
He told me he knows.
I’m beginning to think he remembers only when we’re defending a corner.
But seriously, I’m proud of him.
You don’t become this kind of player just because you’re quick. There are many quick footballers. Achraf understands space, he knows when to arrive, and he has the confidence to make decisions that other defenders wouldn’t even attempt.
That’s why he’s so dangerous.
People can argue about the league. They can argue about the opposition. That’s football.
But a right-back scoring a hat-trick and getting 10 out of 10 deserves more than somebody telling him the competition doesn’t count.
And the best part?
Tomorrow he’ll come into training, and we’ll still expect him to defend.
Three goals don’t excuse you from tracking your winger.
I’ll make sure he remembers that.” :))