Alemannia Aachen will face Hannover 96 II on Saturday (November 2, 4:30 p.m.). Soufiane El-Faouzi will also be part of the squad again.
This summer, some Alemannia Aachen fans were surprised by the club’s signing of Soufiane El-Faouzi from Fortuna Düsseldorf II. Up to that point, he had been a rather inconspicuous regional league player who scored two goals in 48 fourth-division matches and set up six more goals.
But Aachen’s coach Heiner Backhaus knew exactly what he was getting. The 22-year-old central midfielder fits perfectly into his playing style and philosophy. The former SC Paderborn youth player has started all but one of the team’s eleven matches. El-Faouzi missed the 1-1 draw at Arminia Bielefeld on matchday 12 due to a suspension after collecting a yellow card.
He will be back in the starting lineup on Saturday (November 2nd, 4:30 p.m.) against Hannover 96 II. “I’m fit and looking forward to the game. Whether I’ll start will be decided by the coach,” said El-Faouzi, who was born in Siegen and once celebrated his senior debut in the Oberliga for Sportfreunde.
Backhaus, who sat on the podium next to El-Faouzi at the press conference before the Hannover II game, gave his shooting star both praise and criticism.
He is on the right track, but no more than that. He still has a lot of potential to improve. He doesn’t yet have a first clean contact like a Bundesliga player. But he has a heart – more than that. And that is very commendable. But he still has to work on everything else.
Backhaus about El-Faouzi
“He is a talent. I don’t want to say top talent now, because then it’s the biggest burden for a young player to carry. When I was an U21 international, people also told me that I would be the next Olaf Thon. In the end, I was a very impatient and narrow-minded second division player who didn’t want to listen and lacked humility,” said Backhaus.
The prospective football teacher continued: ”I know how to prevent that in young players. And Soufiane played for Sportfreunde Siegen just a few years ago. I’m happy with his progress. But he can still learn a lot here at Alemannia. He’s on the right track, but not beyond that. He still has a lot of room for improvement. He doesn’t have the first clean touch like a Bundesliga player. But he has heart – more than that. And that’s very commendable. But he still has to work on everything else.”
It’s all very overwhelming here. It’s just amazing to play for this club and in front of these fans. It makes you want to do more and continue to be successful
Soufiane El-Faouzi
El-Faouzi was very meek after his coach’s words. Backhaus should like that.
El-Faouzi: “I can only agree with the coach. I can still improve in every way. I’m here at Alemannia so that the coach can also improve me. I’m on the right track in Aachen. I quickly felt comfortable here. I also think that I fit in very well with the playing philosophy and the counter-pressing.”
The former Düsseldorf player had this to say about his first few months at the Tivoli: “It’s all very overwhelming here. It’s just amazing to play for this club and in front of these fans. It makes you want to keep going and be successful.”