Moroccan coach Walid Regragui knows what it feels like to win a trophy on Qatari soil and receive a cup from Fifa President Gianni Infantino, and the big question this week is whether he can achieve both again. sunday.
A suggestion that would have caused ridicule before the start of the World Cup became an increasingly narrow possibility after Regragui surprisingly steered the Atlas Lions to the last four.
Having already won domestic and continental club titles this year, if the 47-year-old wants to lead an African and Arab side to a first World Cup final, then he will have to eliminate the country where he grew up and played almost all his time. club career.
“I come from the suburbs of Paris,” he said. previously said.
“We’re hungry guys there and we like a challenge. The more you tell us we can’t do it, the more we want to try.”
It is fortunate as Regragui will face defending champions France on Wednesday (19:00 GMT), just three months after his first game in charge of Morocco.
Through inspiring man management and a close but strict and trustworthy bond with his players, the former international has formed a team all pulling in the same direction to maximize his talent.
“The coach managed to form this unit and that is his greatest achievement,” Rachid Azzouzi, who played for Morocco at the 1998 World Cup, told BBC Sport Africa.
“Every player has respect for him and wants to carry out his plan – that’s the reason why they play so well.”
Another is simply the belief that Regragui, who has won three wins and one penalty shootout in four World Cup appearances after just two wins in Morocco’s previous 17, has instilled.
Those close to the former Ligue 1 and La Liga defender say he exudes positivity, noting that Regragui’s own career has progressed thanks to his professionalism and conviction.
He has now perfected this in his players.
See how he calmly helped Munir Mohamedi keep a clean sheet against Belgium after being called up at the last minute and how Youssef En-Nesyri, a selection criticized by some in Moroccan media, became the country’s top scorer in the Cup of the world after the firm of Regragui. support.
‘Smells like team spirit’
Appointed in August, Regragui immediately wanted to change the mentality of the team, so he sent a simple message to his team: that anyone anticipating an early exit would not go to Qatar.
“You have to dream and believe in it,” he said after Saturday’s quarter-final win over Portugal.
“We have elite players – (Hakim) Ziyech for Chelsea, (Noussair) Mazraoui for Bayern, (Achraf) Hakimi for Paris St-Germain – at top clubs and a team that can win Cup games. world.
“They have shown that they are capable of this level of performance – it is important for future generations.”
Prior to Qatar, Morocco had beaten only Portugal (1986) and Scotland (1998) on five previous World Cup visits, with their previous best run a second-round exit 36 years ago. .
Now Morocco have beaten three of the planet’s top 10 in a month, their performances on the pitch against Belgium, Spain and Portugal boosted by support off the pitch, with their incredible courage shown by only conceding only once in the final despite such illustrious opponents. .
Regragui’s messages clearly rubbed off.
“We had to get rid of the feeling of inferiority that we had,” goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said after reaching the semi-finals.
“A Moroccan player can face anyone in the world now. We have indeed changed that mentality, and the generation after us now know that Moroccan players can create miracles.”
The same goes for Moroccan coaches.
Royal approval
The sight of a Morocco fan waving their colors while driving through the country’s streets is nothing unusual – and certainly not in the past month – but that’s when the fan is the ruler of the country.
King Mohammed VI is a huge football fan who, alongside the president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) Faouzi Lekjaa, is largely responsible for the massive support and financial investment in this unrivaled sport in Africa.
In recent years, Lekjaa – vice-president of the Confederation of African Football – has pulled many strings to the point that Morocco has often become the focal point of the continental game, hosting several key meetings.
On the pitch, Morocco have also impressed, winning the African Nations Championship twice (for players based in their own national leagues) and reaching their first Women’s Nations Cup final and the Women’s World Cup this year. in addition to Wydad Casablanca, which has become African club champion for the third time.
Practically, Lekjaa is also a government delegate minister in charge of the country’s budget – and with North Africans keen on world promotion and football deemed useful, there is no shortage of money on a continent where it is often scarce.
In recent years, the FMRF has spared no effort, investing $20 million in women’s football and $65 million in the state-of-the-art Mohamed VI training complex which, located on the outskirts of Rabat, was inaugurated three years ago by the king. .
Yet despite all the team’s investment and talent, there was a fundamental problem in the run-up to the World Cup – in that star winger Ziyech had quit international football after a row with the coach. of the time, Vahid Halilhodzic.
Mazraoui had also been sidelined so Lekjaa seized the moment in August, summarily sacking the Bosnian as he added the missing piece to his ongoing puzzle – Regragui, who now had the chance to fuel FMRF’s long-held dream.
“Moroccan Miracle”
African champions only once, in 1976, the Atlas Lions have reached only one continental semi-final and now a World Cup semi-final in three decades – with Regragui, who has played all the matches as Morocco finished second in the 2004 Nations Cup, the common denominator.
After a club career in Europe, with only a three-year stint in Spain with Racing Santander taking him away from France, where he notably played in Ajaccio, he began his coaching career in Africa.
After a brief stint as Morocco’s assistant coach ended after a reported tactical dispute, he took charge of his first club in 2014 and quickly led FUS Rabat to the first title in their 70-year history.
“He was a player who was interested in tactics, in the strategy of a match and who understood quickly,” said Rudi Garcia, former Roma and Marseille boss. said shortly after.
“When he signed with FUS, he knew how he was going to manage his group and play. He used his experience as a player a lot.”
Regragui added another league title with Al Duhail in Qatar in 2020 before moving to the Moroccan giants. Wydad delivered the club’s best joint season in their 85-year history with the African crown won in May.
Nicknamed ‘the head of a lawyer’ but a hugely popular appointment as national coach, Regragui hasn’t changed the squad significantly – with just three changes between Halilhodzic’s side beaten in the Cup quarter-finals des Nations in January (by Egypt) and Regragui’s favorite World Cup line. -at the top.
Yet the changes have been significant, as Mazraoui and Ziyech returned to the fold, while midfielder Azzedine Ounahi – one of four players in the Mohammed VI Academy squad – seized his moment to shine .
The Ziyech saga has paid off as a winger with no club goals or assists this season has recorded the most shots, crosses and assists for Morocco in Qatar, although his pressing may be unrecognizable to Chelsea fans .
“We have a clear game plan and everyone has to work. I don’t think Hakim and (Sofiane) Boufal have ever run so much in their lives,” Regragui said after Portugal’s victory.
Regragui’s approach, characterized by the determination of his defense, the energy of his midfield and the flair of his attackers, is to absorb the pressure and knock opponents on the break.
Ancient international rival Didier Drogba says Morocco’s attitude on the pitch mirrors Regragui’s as a player: “A lot of intensity and technically very smart.”
The former Ivorian striker added: “He knew how to read the game, anticipate the next phases and close the opponent.
“It’s good for all African managers. It’s a great example of what it takes to succeed in the World Cup.”
With a squad forged through adversity in qualifying when flee a military coup in Guinea, Regragui could now become the first manager to win both a continental club title and the World Cup in the same year.
African coaches have rarely been called upon by European clubs, but can Regragui – with a foot in both continents – reverse that trend after dispatching some of the world’s established heavyweights at this World Cup?
