QNA
Doha
Morocco's manager Walid Regragui has arguably made the biggest Arab sports achievement, after his team managed to overcome Spain and reach the quarter-finals.
The Moroccan national team turned under his leadership from an unorganized team to a solid defensive unit. He turned into one of the best teams in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Even more impressive is that the 47-year-old took charge of Morocco with less than three months ahead of the start of the World Cup. Moroccan fans believed that Vahid Halilhodzic, the previous coach, had to go. Moroccan journalist Idris Tarzani told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the decision was welcomed by Moroccan fans, due to their trust in the abilities of their homegrown coaches in handling Moroccan players. He also said that fans believed the team can go far in the competition, something that was reflected in the size of support the team saw in the stands in Doha. He added that fans weren't convinced of Halilhodzic was the right coach for the team, adding that Regragui's appointment gave the fans a lot of hope that Morocco can do well in the World Cup.
From the first moment, coach Regragui with Morocco worked on choosing the starting line-up for the national team from among dozens of distinguished players. An early elimination from a group that included Belgium, Croatia, and Canada was almost expected for Morocco, but Morocco drew with 2018 runners-up Croatia, then beat Belgium 2-0 and Canada 2-1 to end up top of the group. The team however didn't expect to go beyond their 1986 record, especially that their last-16 opponent was Spain.
Regragui clearly drilled his team on the importance of closing down spaces and the players followed his instructions to the letter. He was also realistic in dealing with each match, focusing on keeping his team well-organized and letting the result take care of itself. And even though he hasn't spent a long time with the team, Regragui succeeded in imposing his style on the team. They face Portugal in the quarter-finals on Saturday.