He may have inspired Sydney FC to a 4-2 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Derby but midfielder Anas Ouahim insists A-Leagues fans have only seen glimpses of his talent.
Brought on at half-time with Saturday’s blockbuster Isuzu UTE A-League clash tied at 1-1, Ouahim provided the assist for Jordan Courtney-Perkins’ header in the 48th minute, whipping a pinpoint free-kick onto the head of the Sky Blues defender.
Six minutes later the 27-year-old then bagged his first league goal of the season, slotting Sydney FC in front from the penalty spot to give them a commanding lead.
Furthermore, while he technically won’t get credited with the assist for Sydney’s fourth goal, the German-born Moroccan was certainly the architect, driving through the heart of the Wanderers midfield before sliding a perfect pass into the path of striker Patryk Klimala to finish in Round 5.
So it was somewhat of a surprise then before kick-off when Ouahim was named on the bench for the Unite Round clash, with head coach Ufuk Talay instead opting to hand fit-again Douglas Costa a start in the Derby.
“It’s important that when players are not playing they don’t bring the sad face, because sad face doesn’t help them,” said Talay when asked after the game whether or not he felt Ouahim’s performance came about as part of a desire to prove his coach wrong.
“What they need to do is go out on the park and show me why they should be playing. Yes, he was definitely disappointed that he didn’t start the game, but he came on and he did his job.”
Speaking to aleagues.com.au after inspiring his side to their emphatic Derby win, Ouahim admitted he was frustrated not to start the game but that wasn’t the motivation behind his excellent display.
“I wouldn’t say that I change my game depending on if the coach starts me or not,” said Ouahim. “This would mean that I’m not professional enough when I start the game to give 100%.
“I always give 100%. If I start, if I come in. Obviously I was frustrated. I’m a player that always wants to play. I’m even frustrated if I don’t play the last 10 minutes because the coach takes me off.
“I think every player wants to play every game, and especially when you have as much experience as me. I’m 27 you can’t be just mad and let it influence your game.
“You have to be professional. I understand that the coach is making decisions, and when you step on the pitch, you just have to give everything.”
An off-season recruit from the Dutch Eredivisie, Ouahim has featured in all five of Sydney FC’s Isuzu UTE A-League clashes, operating at the tip of the club’s midfield.
However, whilst his performances have by no means been below par in the league, fans and pundits alike believed the Unite Round display was his best since arriving in Australia; Ouahim himself though doesn’t agree.
“I don’t think it was my best game but, you know, that’s football. It’s all about statistics, and when you score and give assists, you get the attention. There were some good games (and) there were some games that were not the best,” he said.
“Honestly, I think I haven’t showed anything yet. Since I’m here I can say that with 100% confidence, there are a lot of things that I haven’t showed showed yet, and I really hope that I can show it.
He continued: “The game is quite difficult. Sometimes you need to come into the right positions and the right situations.
“You also need to get to know your teammates. You need to get to know the league. You’re far away from home, it’s not a very easy thing to do, and not everybody understands that.
“But don’t get me wrong, I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m just explaining that. I think there’s more to come, and (I’m) very confident that it will come soon.”
Victory over the Wanderers leaves the Sky Blues sixth on the table with a record of three wins and two losses so far this season and Ouahim believes the nature of the win over their fiercest rivals will give the club a huge confidence boost moving forward.
“To win a derby is always something very, very special. You can feel it in the stadium. You can feel it in the crowd,” he said.
“It’s given you a kind of energy that is very different to other games so (the) Derby is always something that is very special.
“I think what should give us confidence is that we can win a derby like that, where we still have to improve a lot.”
He added: “I think with our quality and the team, I think there are a lot of things that we can still work on and improve, but we still won the game. I think that should give us confidence that if we even improve those things where we could be.”
