What a distinction a 12 months could make.
It has emerged that 12 months in the past Morocco supervisor Walid Regragui was hunched over his laptop computer display screen, taking down notes as a part of a Zoom seminar with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
The fascinating revelation has come out with Regragui now 90 minutes away from guiding Morocco to the World Cup closing in Qatar, in what can be one of many best achievements within the competitors’s 92-year historical past.
Morocco supervisor Walid Regragui joined a Zoom seminar with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta final 12 months
Arteta was presenting a ways seminar on Zoom, utilizing Arsenal’s victory over Manchester Metropolis as one of many examples to elucidate his teaching and tactical philosophies.
Regragui was supervisor of Moroccan facet Wydad AC throughout this name and was placing within the work away from the highlight to enhance himself as a coach.
Now Regragui is plotting a tactical masterplan for Morocco as they put together to tackle reigning world champions France on Wednesday evening.
He might want to devise a technique that may nullify the specter of event prime scorer Kylian Mbappe, in addition to preserve Olivier Giroud, the matchwinner towards England, from influencing proceedings.
Morocco’s plan on this event has been to remain defensively resolute earlier than springing for a aim on the counter assault.
The north Africans have efficiently shut out Croatia, one of many different semi-finalists, Belgium, Spain and Portugal en path to the final 4.
Responding to critics of his defensive-first type of play, Regragui was definitive that they won’t compromise their beliefs with a purpose to win extra type factors.
‘We’re going to play like we all know how,’ he mentioned.
Regragui passionately defended his facet towards criticism of their defensive type of play
‘Possession is awfully deceptive – you may have 70% possession and also you solely shoot twice.
‘There’s anticipated objectives too: “We should always have gained, we had 4 anticipated objectives!” We’re right here to win, that’s all.’
No African nation has ever reached a World Cup closing and so Regragui, simply 12 months on from scribbling down the tactical musings of Arteta, stands on the cusp of much more historical past.
