But the arrival of the Palestinian international looks like a flop with his 4 small achievements in the championship. Worse, the 25-year-old hasn't scored since December 6, in the Cup, at Antwerp. And we have to go back to November 25 to find trace of a goal in the championship, against Westerlo. This Sunday, he missed three huge chances against Eupen which could have been very expensive.
”In Belgium, he lost his scoring talent from Arouca”, analyzes Francisco Sousa. The Portuguese journalist who covers Arouca for DAZN And Radio Observador describes a Dabbagh with a Lusitanian sauce that is very different from the one we know in the Pro League. “With us, Oday showed finishing qualities. He could also support his teammates with his technical ability to keep the ball and he also exhausted the defenders with varied movements towards the depth.
Things we rarely saw during this exercise. In the Zebras jersey, Dabbagh, too often static, only wins 35.4% of his duels, and his shooting average is only 1.33 attempts per match according to figures collected by Wyscout. In terms of expected goals, the figures are just as cataclysmic with 0.33 xG.
In other words, the Carolo striker does not create anything, and the Eupen match is an exception. “For me, he put in a good performance because he kept the ball more than in Kortrijk and he was there in the area”, positive Rik De Mil. Not enough, however, to completely exonerate him from a failed first exercise. However, there are reasons to still believe in its potential.
In Portugal, an outbreak during the second season
In Liga Nos, Sporting's number 9 had waited until the second season to make a name for himself after only scoring… 4 goals in 23 games during his first 12 months. Statistics similar to those he has at Charleroi (4 goals in 21 matches). “Its adaptation, however, was not difficult. I also remember a great goal against Sporting Lisbon for his first start, continues Francisco Sousa. The difference is that Arouca fought to stay. It was not as offensive a team as in 2022-2023 where it exploded, when the team won the first European ticket in its history.”
Well, well, a scenario which is strangely reminiscent of what Charleroi is experiencing this year. “Then the leaders invested in reinforcements. Mujica, Alan Ruiz and David Simao were very important for Dabbagh to finally show his potential, remembers the reporter. I keep the image of an agile player, skillful with his left foot and fast.”
It exploded when leaders invested in reinforcements.
One last quality that may surprise. Since July, the Carolo defector has stood out for the slowness of his races. Are these the after-effects of his meniscus operation in April 2023which made him miss the last two months of competition with Arouca, which impacted his speed and his sense of goal?
He will score again, that I am sure of.
The war which ravaged his country can also explain his performances. “In my personal case, I can say that mine are safe because they are a little far from Gaza but you know, in Palestine, we are never completely safe, he told us in Doha during the last Asian Cup. At the beginning, it was really complicated when I saw the loss of civilians. Now I try to stay away from the news because it's too hard to hear it. I try not to check my phone every hour in order to be focused on the field.”
A meadow and an opposing surface that he must learn to tame again. “I trust him. He's the one who had the opportunities, that means he's there. He will score again, that, I am sure,” hammers De Mil. This is what he is already doing with his national team, as evidenced by his hat-trick against Bangladesh during the last international break at the end of March and his three goals in the Asian Cup at the start of the calendar year. It remains to be seen whether Dabbagh is still capable of reproducing such performances when the level of the opponents rises.
