While they were leading 2-0 against the Zambia and seemed to be heading straight towards a comfortable victory last Friday in Agadir, the Lions of the Atlas conceded a goal that almost hit the mark. On a very quick counterattack, Nayef Aguerd And Romain Saïss couldn’t keep up with the pace ofEdward Chilufyawho also deceived Bounou with the slightest effort. Monday on the eve of the duel against Congo, Walid Regragui did not let go of his defenders and stressed that they had generally succeeded in their mission, with the exception of the action of the goal: “I did not find that the central hinge was put in difficulty. On the goal there was a small disagreement with the defenders and the goalkeeper, also at fault. They were very strong until the 80th minute… Change is not inevitable but for the moment I am satisfied with my defenders”. The coach then explained that the team was the victim of slackening after the 2nd goal, a trap that must be avoided in the future: “Tuesday, we must see an evolution in terms of pressing, in terms of play . That’s what really matters and I hope we get there. We made a few mistakes against Zambia, but that doesn’t affect my confidence in my players. When we scored the second goal, we gave up a little and we had excess confidence. This is a mistake that we must avoid in the future and stay focused, leaving nothing to the opponent.”
Regragui: “When there is frustration, you cannot control it easily”
The national technician also looked at the major incident last Friday in Agadir, the anger shown by Ziyech And En-Nesyri when leaving the pitch for a change: “When there is frustration, you cannot control it easily. Maybe they were angry at themselves or at a particular aspect of the game. I admit that it doesn’t paint a pretty picture and they are aware of that. We talked about it and it was resolved. Afterwards as a coach, I know that they want to stay on the pitch, that they want to give everything for this team. For En-Nesyri, he is someone very well educated. He may have been in excess with that bottle throwing, he actually apologized for that… Hakim, you know him, he always likes to play and gives his all to the team… ”. The coach, in this sense, launched an appeal to the journalists present in the Agadir conference room: “What I ask you in these circumstances is to avoid spreading rumors like: Ziyech has left the selection camp. It’s this kind of talk that fuels anger and doubts.” Walid Regragui assured that this problem was forgotten “the following morning”.
For Regragui, supporters have never lost confidence in the national team
“I think there is work going on near the stadium but that hasn’t stopped the fans from coming out in large numbers. I believe that the supporters always carry us in their hearts. I think they are still proud of this team. They no longer hear about conflicts in the locker room, they only hear that Ziyech left the selection after an altercation… I believe that we are on the right track and that we can always count on the support of these supporters.” declared the national coach. For the semi-finalist of the last World Cup, achieving big victories had not spared the selection in the past, with eliminations in CAN and the inability to reach the World Cup despite the good performances: “I am coach of this selection. I was also an assistant coach, a player and a supporter above all. We have all seen Moroccan teams who scored high scores and dominated outrageously, but have they all managed to qualify each time for the African Cups or the World Cup? I do not believe. I always say it, you have to find the right balance and it takes time for it to settle in”.
