Moroccan international Sofyan Amrabat could well be the biggest obstacle between West Ham and glory, writes The Times on Tuesday, on the eve of the final of the Europa League Conference (C4) between the London club and Fiorentina.
As West Ham face Fiorentina on Wednesday in Prague, to end sixty years of continental title drought, the British daily focused its attention on the duel between Amrabat and Declan Rice, “two of the best defensive midfielders in the world at the moment. “.
But the Atlas Lion refuses to limit the match to this duel: Declan is a “very good” player, he told The Times. “We saw that in the World Cup and I think he’s shown that for many years at West Ham. He is a quality, intelligent player. But I don’t think it’s Amrabat versus Rice, more like Fiorentina versus West Ham. We are 11, they are 11”, he nuanced.
“I believe we can win against West Ham and I think we have to give our lives, because it’s the last game” of the season, added the Fiorentina midfielder, faithful to his warrior mentality.
According to the big draw, the World Cup propelled Amrabat to the forefront of the international scene. He earned a spot in the tournament’s all-star squad, with Morocco having eliminated Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
In Qatar, it was perhaps Amrabat’s defensive contribution that caught the most attention: his tally of 22 tackles and interceptions was only surpassed by five players, including Luka Modric, Enzo Fernández and Aurélien Tchouaméni , analyzes the English media, noting however that in Serie A, his role goes beyond, since he ranks this season among the ten best for progressive passes, that is to say those which move the ball forward ten meters towards the goal or in the box.
Amrabat was “arguably Morocco’s best player in their historic run to the World Cup semi-finals” and he has reached two finals with the Viola this season. After losing to Inter Milan in the Italian Cup last month, the Europa Conference League final against West Ham United on Wednesday gives him one last chance to cap off the season with his life, the newspaper concludes.